Dissidia: Secrets
by Zero the Leech
Summary: Harmony and Discord, a never ending cycle that draws countless into battle. Now the war has begun again, but this time with a different set of rules and even deeper secrets.
1. Prologue: Endless Cycle

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix

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**Prologue: Endless Cycle**

Three years…three long, exasperating years since the cycle of harmony and discord had been broken.

The world that once served as a playground for the gods has fallen into ruin, slowly fading into the realm of nonexistence. The land, sea, and sky were bleached in an endless field of white, leaching away substance until nothing remained. The Land of Discord had been the first to go since the disappearance of it ruler, shortly followed by the Behemut Isles and the Mirage Sandsea. Within such a short time, all that remained of this misshapen world was the tower that once served as sanctuary for the Warriors of Cosmos. Despite so calm and peaceful, the sanctuary would serve their purposes.

Teetering dangerously on the edge of the sanctuary grounds, a woman that existed as a stranger to this world grinned with mirth at the boundless sea of white that surrounded the tower. She was rather slender and relatively young – looking to be around in her mid-twenties – with shocking white hair that touched down to her waist, which somehow complimented her rich-purple skin. She didn't understand the purpose of clothing one's appearance, but reluctantly wore skin-tight, black undergarments to cover both of her womanly features. There was no denying that she was stunning in her own way.

She closed her eyes and held her arms out wide as if to embrace the empty world, feeling the icy-cold water of the sanctuary floor slipping through her toes.

"Such wonderful destruction." The purple-skinned woman sighed in content. "If only all worlds could be this beautiful."

"I would stand away from there, Jenova." A deep, malevolent voice called. "The emptiness draws closer. And it would be a shame if you were to…accidentally fall in."

The look of enjoyment was quickly replaced by annoyance as Jenova lowered her arms and turned to the reckless fool that dared to antagonize her. By appearances alone, any normal person would be quivering in their boots at the sight of the newcomer. He was unbelievably tall garbed in heavy, silver armor adorned with sapphire jewels on his belt and gauntlets, a navy-blue cape, and a unique helmet with the face of a demon and the horns to match it. The sword he carried was equally impressive being just as large and wide as it wielder designed with interlocking parts to form a whole.

Most men would cower in his presence, but the stalwart knight only proved to be a nuisance to Jenova in the short time she had known him. The oddly skinned woman remained leering at the giant until a black-feather wing ripped from her right shoulder – Jenova showed known signs of pain from the experience. With a single flap of her new limb, Jenova glided across the sanctuary in record time, staring face-to-face with the horned warrior.

"You shouldn't patronize me, Garland." Jenova said lowly, sending a chill that could freeze the water beneath them. "You may have been Chaos' favored, but that does not make you superior. Quite the contrary, without Chaos to supplement your strength, you are nothing more than a child in a tin suit."

"Be silent, you winged harpy!" Garland snapped, stabbing his sword into the water for added effect.

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Jenova questioned.

The stalwart knight growled under his breath and dragged his sword behind him, unbelievably leaving a scar in the water-floor. The one-winged woman already knew what he was planning as Garland clenched the hilt with both hands. The pathetic failure of a knight dared to challenge her: The Calamity of the Skies? The notion was almost laughable. Both dark creatures were prepared to end each other's life when…

"The point of this little gathering to fight our enemies, not each other." A sophisticated tone sounded over the sanctuary. "Come, this it not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves. We have important matters to discuss."

Garland and Jenova remained still for a short moment – their scornful eyes never leaving one another. Submitting to the fact that it was not the proper time, Garland set his enormous sword to the side and Jenova touched back down, recalling the black wing into her skin. Both of them faced the man who had managed to prevent the destructive battle. He was an elderly man with deep marks of aging against his sagging skin and cold, cruel eyes that only showed a small part of his true nature. He was lavishly clothed in robes of purple and white with rich intricate designs and baubles, a crown-like hat with a transparent veil, and carried a pure-gold staff at his side.

Standing at his side was a younger looking man dressed in similar fashion. His hair was light-blue with two long locks similar in appearance to horns running down his back, and a large bang of hair falling over his face. He wore ornate robes of dark-blue with red trimmings and a green sash, also carried a staff with a strange red design at the top. The top portion of his robes was left open, exposing the intricate tattoo that covered the majority of his chest.

The young of the two men stepped forward to stand between Jenova and Garland, looking confident that he would prevent another outburst.

"Now, now, there's no need to act like children." The blue-haired man stated calmly. "After all, we are working towards a similar cause."

"Seymour, Dysley." Jenova pronounced collectively. "Was it you that called this gathering?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear Jenova." Dysley shook his head in response. "I was under the impression that Xehanort was who summed this council, as it was he who brought us to this world in the first place."

"Xehanort." Garland scoffed, crossing his arms defiantly. "That decrepit old man has some nerve summoning us at his own pleasure, thinking we'll bend to his every whim. I'm afraid senility has finally caught up to him."

"With age comes experience." Seymour responded in a sophisticated tone. "And a man such as Xehanort is rich with experience, easily understanding the complexities of the interdimension rift enough to summon a human without fear of recoil. His strength seems almost equal to that of a god. And besides…" He took a moment to glance between them. "If it wasn't for him, we would still be dead."

"All of us have fallen to our enemies in one form or another." Dysley commented. "To have the power to bring back the dead is truly an amazing feat. Not even the Fal'Cie can achieve this."

"Be that as it may." Garland replied arrogantly. "I will not yield that man as my master."

"I would expect such a thing." The stalwart knight jumped slightly, sidestepping to bring their anonymous master into view. "All I simply ask is that we work together to achieve a common goal. That is all."

Garland stepped backed away from the elderly warrior, wondering how someone that along in age was able to appear unnoticed. The man called Master Xehanort was a bald, old man with a silver goatee, pointed ears, and piecing-gold eyes that stabbed into their souls. His clothing is composed of a silver and black coat with a red inner lining, over a white shirt with two thin black belts, a pair of black pants, white gloves, and calf-high black boots.

Master Xehanort allowed his eyes to wander over his summoned party before turning his back to them, walking in the direction of the white throne in the center of the sanctuary. Those who had gathered were far too used to this and followed the old man, circling him as he took his place on the seat with his hand clasped together in thought.

"Xehanort." Seymour called, not giving Jenova or Garland the chance to argue. "Why have to called us to this place. Not to sound rude, but it does seem unwise to bring us here at such a dangerous time. At the rate this world is disappearing, it won't be long before this tower is consumed into the endless void of nothing."

"But that is exactly why I have called you here." Xehanort grinned, earning confused glances from his allies. "Look out there and tell me what you see."

"Nothing." Jenova answered obviously, wondering if Garland was right about the old man going senile. "With Chaos gone, harmony and discord are out of balance – this world exists solely on the balance between Chaos and Cosmos."

"Precisely." Xehanort nodded. "An entire world crafted by the hands of two false deities. Though they were immeasurably powerful, they were far from being called real gods; their power given to them by the entity known as Shinryu. Cosmos and Chaos were given unfathomable power and summoned warriors from different world to fight for their purpose. In return, Shinryu asked only the strength of those who have fallen in combat as payment before restarting the cycle again."

"But now that Chaos is no more, the cycle has stopped." Garland proclaimed irritably, already knowing the story behind Chaos and Cosmos existence. "Shinryu has taken his life as his last payment and left this world to fall into ruin. Cosmos stayed behind to fade away with the rest of the world. That much we already know. Now…" He smashed his sword into the water/ground out of irritation. "Do you have any useful information?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Xehanort said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The elderly warrior raised his hand to the side – the summoned four followed his movements carefully. Master Xehanort closed his hand in the air and called forth of torrent of darkness to filled the void. When the shadows parted, Garland visibly stiffened and accidentally released his grip on his weapon, letting it fall to the ground with a ringing clatter. Xehanort held the neck of a beautiful blond woman dressed in a white and gold gown, keeping her just barely suspended above the ground. A pale glow covered the woman's curvaceous form, but flicked every few as if threatening to burn out.

"You…"Garland stuttered in a stupefied manner. "You defeated Cosmos?"

"I wish I could say so, but that was not the case." Xehanort answered, tossing the former Goddess of Harmony to the floor. The blond deity grunted when smacked against the ground, signaling that she was very much alive. "She was already in a weakened state when I found her. Without Chaos to balance her power and Shinryu to support it, she is nothing more than an empty puppet now. But even if this state, she has been quite useful."

"How so?" Dysley questioned.

"Being one of the four who created this world, Cosmos has many secrets." Xehanort said cunningly. "And among them is the true secret of Shinryu's power."

"Shinryu's power?" Jenova repeated interestingly.

"Shinryu was not a god of his own strength." Xehanort proclaimed ominously. "But rather, a god of other's strength. Shinryu was nothing more than a vulture that collected the power and abilities of those who had already been defeated in battle though the means of celestial magic. The strength he wields is one stolen from countless warriors who were unfortunate to fail. The secret to his magic was one that was closely guarded…until now."

"Cosmos knew." Seymour simplified, looking down at the weakened goddess. "Then that would explain how her warriors were able to defeat Chaos – because they were experience the same type of magic as Shinryu."

"Yes." Xehanort pronounced proudly. "With each victory they achieved, the Warriors of Cosmos would unknowingly can new strength through Cosmos' magic, allowing them the opportunity to end the seemingly endless war."

"And now the same secret belongs to us." Jenova stated confidently.

"More specifically, to me." Xehanort proclaimed, lifting himself from the throne. "But the result is still the same. Through the endless conflict of harmony and discord, we will grow more powerful with each warrior who has fallen. And then, we can move ahead towards our true goal."

"So the cycle begins again." Garland stated solemnly, staring out into the endless white that surrounded them. "But this world is unsuitable to play host for another conflict. We must find a new stage to cast our performance."

"But why settle ourselves in one world?" Xehanort smirked malevolently, stepping close to his summoned group. "When there are countless worlds filled with war and conflict – worlds that will serves as suitable battlegrounds for the coming war. The real question is: where do we begin?"

"The opening ceremony should be one to remember." Seymour said with a smirk.

"If you will hear me out, Master Xehanort…" Jenova announced, placing a hand on the hunched man's shoulder. "I know someone who would be perfect for the first match."

* * *

Midgar – a true hell on the Planet.

With the fall of Meteor, the subsequent conflict with the One-Winged Angel, and the terror of Omega, any chances of the city returning to its former state was long over. To say that the once bustling metropolis was in ruins would be a serious understatement. Despite bests attempt, the mountains or stone, metal, wood, and glass were impossible to clean up and thus forced the survivors to relocate outside of Midgar. The town was called edge – a suitable name – and everyone returned to their daily lives, trying to forget the amount of tragedies that had taken place in the last three years. But despite all the decay, rubble, and Mako leaks, one person managed to find sanctuary in a small church that surprisingly still existed at Midgar's edge.

The church was most left in a state of ruin with the wooden floor splintered in various places, pews strewn about, stone pillars cracked or broken, and the entire left wall was busted down. But ignoring all these negatives, there was a bright spot to the place. A small pond of pure, crystal clear water was existed close to the front of the area, surrounded by a bed of bright-yellow flowers. And closer to the altar, looking largely out of place, was a giant sword that seemed almost reminiscent to a butcher knife was stabbed just at the edge of the miniature garden. The soft light reflecting against the blade, the soothing scent of the flowers, and the cooling presence of the pool made the church paradise compared to the rest of the city. Of course, such a place couldn't exist without someone properly tending to it.

Kneeling in the center of the garden, his hands caked in mud and sweat, was a man gently nursing the delicate plant life. He was tall and clearly toned with spiky blond hair that seemed to defy gravity and crystal-blue eyes that glowed in an unnatural way. His cloths consisted of a high collar black shirt with no sleeves, black pants and boots, and black cloth covering his left leg and arm, and a silver wolf badge on the left side of his chest. Contrary to the rest of his dark appearance, the man proudly wrapped a pink ribbon around his right bicep – it was one of his more cherished items.

Once knowing that the flowers were safe for another day, Cloud Strife clapped his hand to remove any excess dirt.

"I never knew gardening would be so hard." Cloud sighed with a hint of exhaustion. "Aerith always made it look easy." He looked over to the large sword, shooting a challenging smirk to the weapon. "I bet you're laughing it up now. It would seem like the kind of thing you would do." Just then, his cell phone went off and Cloud took a chance to check the caller ID before answering. "Tifa, got another job for me?"

"No, I was just calling to offer you an all-expense paid trip to Costa del Sol." Tifa answered sarcastically; Cloud rolled his eyes at the failed joke. "Yeah, I've got a job for you, but you might not like it."

"Why?" Cloud asked curiously, making his way out of the church. "Is it far?"

"Kinda…" Tifa replied hesitantly. "It's in Wutai – Yuffie order a package to be delivered."

"Oh no." Cloud muttered under his breath; it was common knowledge that Cloud found the ninja girl to be annoying. "Can't you just tell her that I'm busy or something? Tell her I'm helping the WRO with an important project."

"Cloud, Yuffie is the head of the espionage and intelligence division." Tifa stated exasperatedly. "She knows you don't work for the WRO. Look, she's willing to pay a lot of gil for this package to be delivered and it could really help thing around the place. So stop complaining, deliver the package, say hi to Yuffie and come back. It's as simple as that."

"When have things ever been simple?" Cloud questioned sarcastically.

"You know what I mean!" Tifa exclaimed irritably; Cloud moved the phone away from his ear. "Wutai is on a different continent, so you'll need to call Cid for a lift. I hope you'll be back in a few days."

"All right, I'll try." Cloud said; somehow know he'll regret this. "Talk to ya later, Tifa."

"Come back soon, Cloud." Tifa replied.

Closing his phone and replacing it in his pocket, the spiky-haired warrior walked around the debris of Midgar toward his motorcycle: Fenrir. The bike was his pride and joy – well worth giving the previous owner a lifetime of free food and drink at the 7th Heaven. Now Cloud wasn't normally a possessive man, but he took extremely good care of it and rarely let anybody touch it, let alone ride it. He had faintly recalled Denzel accidentally scratching the paint once and Cloud scolded him for two days – Tifa scolded Cloud for a week. Saddling himself up on the bike, the spiky-blond was about to put on his sunglasses when he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. A rose petal fluttered past his view, drifting in the wind of Midgar's ruins. It was rather strange since the only flowers within a hundred miles of Midgar were in Aerith's church and all of them with yellow. Carefully looking around, Cloud didn't notice anything different, but the sense of unease never left him.

"I have a bad feeling something's about to happen." Cloud murmured to himself, putting on his sunglasses. "And I'm usually right."

The engines of Fenrir roared to life and the blond delivery boy swerved through the mountains of rubble. But standing at the highest point of the old church, someone was carefully watching the warrior as he left Midgar – a bounty of rose petal blew in the wind.

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**Because my attention span is everyone, it has become difficult to focus on one thing at a time. As a way to relieve this, I'm just gonna update whenever I feel like it without a proper schedule - yeah, it's that bad. On a side note, I am currently searching for new assistants to aid me in various subjects: feedback, critical search, beta reader, researcher, etc. If you are knowledgeable in any of my story topics (except Naruto), feel free to contact me if you are interested in the position.  
**

**Please, read and review.**


	2. Thunder and Lightning

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix

**Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**

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**Chapter One: Thunder and Lightning**

To say that Cloud was mad would be a serious understatement – he was downright pissed.

He had called in a favor two days ago from Cid Highwind asking for a flight to the island of Wutai, which the irritable chain-smoker initially turned him down. That lasted until Cloud reminded him that he saved Cid's hide when he forgot to get a present for his wedding anniversary. The last thing you ever wanted was Shera Highwind angry – she was almost as bad as Tifa. Cloud arrived in the Western Continent to deliver a package to Wutai's younger leader, only to learn that the package was filled with Styrofoam. The sneaky little ninja had tricked Cloud into coming to Wutai to celebrate the Lantern Festival and needed date for the night. The spiky-haired warrior must have shot her down a hundred times before he finally gave it – that girl was beyond persistent. And that's how Cloud Strife, hero of Midgar and slayer of Sephiroth, ended up escorting of a nineteen year-old ninja the entire night.

Now that he was back in the Eastern Continent, riding through the flowery fields on his beloved Fenrir, Cloud would make sure that he cut off all contact with Yuffie. Though he doubted it would make a difference – that girl had her ways. Just then, his cellphone went off. He cautiously checked the caller ID, thanking the Lifestream that it wasn't the Wutai leader, before answering.

"Hey, Cloud." Tifa greeted cheerfully. "How was your trip?"

"I think you know exactly how it went." Cloud answered monotonously; Tifa chuckled nervously. "When I read the delivery form, it said that I was transporting a bundle of Materia that Yuffie had ordered. So imagine my surprise when she tell me that the package I had to deliver across the planet was filled with packing material."

"That does seem strange." Tifa said distractedly.

"You set me up, didn't you?" Cloud exclaimed.

"C'mon, Cloud!" Tifa responded sympathetically. "Now that Yuffie is the official leader of Wutai and does double assignments with the WRO, she barely has time to see her friends. She hasn't seen you since the incident with Kadaj and she really missed you. She's not really that bad if you give her a chance."

"I'll admit that Yuffie is good in her own way." Cloud acknowledged. "But next time, ask me before you have me scrambling on a worldwide expedition."

"If I had asked, you would have said no." Tifa countered knowingly.

"That is so not…"

Just then, a flash of bright-yellow passed by out of the corner of his eye. Because the fields on either side of the road were covered with yellow flowers similar to the ones in Aerith's church, he didn't worry about it at first. But that was until he noticed a wave of brown hair on top – it was a girl. The newcomer unknowingly dashed out in the middle of the road and, once hearing the roar of Fenrir's engines, stopped in her track to face him. She had somehow been oblivious to see Cloud coming and when she did, she was paralyzed like a deer caught in the headlights. Cloud needed to be fast. He knew he was going to regret this, but the spiky-haired warrior curved his motorcycle around just enough to avoid colliding with the girl. Unfortunately, the maneuver caused Cloud to fall sideways on to the road and sent the vehicle skidding into the field. He really hoped the paint wasn't scratched. Thankfully from years of experience, Cloud was only left with a few scratches, which he could easily ignore. Sighing to himself and brushed the dirt off his clothes, the spiky-haired warrior removed his sunglasses to shoot his signature glare.

The girl who nearly caused him to wreck was relatively young – possible a couple years younger than Yuffie – with chestnut-brown hair that curled outwards at her shoulders. Her attire was very simple: a bright-yellow miniskirt/overall mini-dress with a long zipper down the front, a pair of leather-brown cowboy boots, and a blue sweatband on her left wrist.

Though many would cower under Cloud's steely gaze, the girl smiled at him absently as if he were a mildly amusing television program. The similarities between her and Yuffie were scary.

"Wow, that was some crash." The girl said cheerfully. "You could have broken all the bones in your body or started bleeding internally or could have scraped your face on the pavement and lost all your skin." She giggled humorously. "Kinda funny, huh?"

"You have a very morbid sense of humor." Cloud sweat-dropped; this girl seemed more like Vincent.

"Oh, how rude of me." The girl gasped, suddenly bowing in respect. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Selphie, Selphie Tilmitt."

"Cloud Strife." Cloud replied shortly, kneeling down to check the damage on Fenrir. "What were you thinking running in the middle of the road? You could have gotten yourself killed. What are you even doing so far from Midgar anyway?"

"Midgar, what's that?" Selphie blinked curiously. "I was just sitting in my dorm room, updating my website, when this big flash of light appeared and blinded me. When I could see again, I was in the middle of this field. The flowers were so beautiful – even prettier than the ones in Balamb Garden."

"Balamb Garden." Cloud said inquisitively. "What's that?"

"You never heard of Balamb Garden!" Selphie exclaimed shockingly. "It's only THE biggest and best military academy in the world! People have to go through the academy first before they can join SeeD."

"SeeD?" Cloud repeated questionably, shooting a suspicious glance as he stood. "Is that supposed to be an enforcement division working for Shin-Ra like SOLDIER and the Turks? I had hoped that Rufus would have learned his lesson by now."

"Well, I wouldn't call them enforcers." Selphie answer, tapping her chin in thought. "They're more like mercenaries for hire. But I've never heard of Shin-Ra before. Then again, I never heard of SOLDIER or the Turks either."

"How is it possible that you never heard of Shin-Ra?" Cloud questioned, attentively looking down on her. "The Shin-Ra Electric Power Company used to control most of the world's populace since long before even I was born. But then again…" He sighed, scratching his spiky hair. "I've never heard of SeeD or Balamb Garden before, either. And from the way you describe them, they're must be important."

"They are very important." Selphie nodded. "They were originally made to fight Ultimecia if she ever showed up."

"Ultimecia…" Cloud hummed thoughtfully. "That name…it seems familiar. Like some memory buried deep in the back of my mind." He looked over Selphie once more, who stared back at his with innocent doe-eyes. "All right, I don't know what's going on, but we both seem to be missing key pieces of information from our minds. Maybe…I should take you back to the 7th Heaven and see if we can figure this out."

"Yay! Road trip!" Selphie cheered.

"I somehow know I'm going to regret this." Cloud muttered to himself, lifting the Fenrir back to its upright position. "Maybe we'll figure something out on the way there. Where on The Planet are you from anyway?"

"The Planet?" Selphie repeated confused. "Isn't this world called…?"

**_THWAP!_**

Selphie slapped her hands over her mouth to cover her gasping breath as Cloud was launched over his bike and flipped painfully on his back in the concrete road. The spiky-haired warrior hadn't been paying attention and his punishment was being assaulted by a blunt instrument to the side of the head. Thankfully, the blow didn't land hard enough to knock him out, but it did leave him with a throbbing headache. Cloud staggered back to his feet with his hand to his forehead as he turned around to the attacker.

He was a large man that looked only a couple years older than Selphie with deep-tan skin and short, black hair. He wore a rich-purple vest, black pants with a red sash, a pair of jet-black combat boots, bandages wrapped around both his wrists, a large golden-bead necklace, and a silver pauldron with the kanji of 'Thunder' on the surface. The brute of a man was carrying a wooden staff by his shoulder – obviously the instrument used to assault Cloud.

"Oh yeah, now I remember." Selphie said, acting as if she had come to an epiphany. "I was running away from him when you almost ran into me."

"And you just now remember?" Cloud growled; Selphie giggled shyly. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually wish Yuffie was here now." He shifted his gaze over to the brutish man, who had just climbed over his beloved bike – Cloud was going to break his legs later. "Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

"The name's Raijin, ya know." The man called Raijin answered with a laidback tone. "I thought you were Selphie, ya know?"

"How can you mistake me for a little girl in a yellow dress?" Cloud questioned strangely; Raijin looked dumbfounded. "Judging by your lack of response and your confused expression, I take it you're not very bright. But since you seem to know Selphie, I take it you two have met before."

"Raijin is part of the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee." Selphie said with an uncharacteristic frown. When receiving the confused stare from Cloud, she continued. "They're a student-run committee that is supposed to enforce the rules in Balamb Garden. But the truth is they're nothing but a bunch of bullies that like to abuse their power."

"Sounds like Shin-Ra, all right." Cloud murmured.

"Raijin is the muscle behind the committee." Selphie continued. "But I hardly ever see him with Fuujin or their boss, Seifer. Wonder what he's doing here."

"You know why I'm here, ya know!" Raijin pointed an accusing finger to Cloud. It took him a few second to readjust his aim at Selphie. "I was eating in the cafeteria with Fuujin and Seifer, when you blasted me with that weird light, ya know. Next thing I knew, I was in the middle of nowhere, ya know. I saw Selphie and I knew it was her fault, ya know."

"That's…not very logical." Cloud scratched his head.

"I didn't do it!" Selphie exclaimed panicking. "I was ended up here the same way! I have no idea what's going on!"

"So you admit it!" Raijin shouted as if he had solved a major mystery.

"He's not very bright, is he?" Cloud asked Selphie.

"I bet he was dropped when he was a baby." Selphie said in a joking way. "Maybe his head cracked open and some of the brain juices leaked out – poor guy."

"What is your humor so…twisted" Cloud questioned uncomfortably; Selphie shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, why don't we just sit down and talk about this rationally? I'm sure we'll figure something…"

"I'm done waiting around, ya know." Raijin stated threateningly. "I'm gonna count to three and y'all better take me back to Seifer. One…eighteen…ninety-seven…Q…"

"Mother Minerva, he can't even count to three." Cloud said awkwardly; Selphie giggled at Raijin's stupidity. "I didn't even think that was possible."

"Eleventy-trillion…three!" Raijin screamed.

The bulky bully twirled his staff to show-off a bit before charging at Selphie like a raging bull. Cloud instantly placed himself between the two academy students, using his right forearms to deflect the first attack. The spiky-haired warrior winced slightly – Raijin's blunt instrument carried a lot of force behind it, leaving a swelling red mark on Cloud's skin. The former SOLDIER threw off the staff and kicked Raijin in the stomach, causing him to skid backwards into the flower field by a few feet. The muscular disciplinary member looked like he had gotten the wind knocked out of him as he bended over, using his knees for support. Just from one kick from the spiky-haired guy and Raijin felt like he lost a fight with Seifer, Squall, and Fuujin combined. That was never a good sign. He lifted his head weakly – sweat running down his forehead – and noticed that the guy in black was casually walking up to him with Selphie treading carefully behind. Once close enough, Raijin made one last effort to swing his staff around for a crushing blow, but Cloud effortlessly captured the weapon in his hand. The muscle of the Disciplinary Committee tried to pry his weapon back, but the Hero of Midgar refused to relinquish his grip.

"Two words of advice: give up." Cloud advice; Selphie grinned mischievously behind him. "The level of experience and strength is too big of a difference for you to win. If you just calm down, I'm sure we can talk this out."

"I hate talking, ya know." Raijin grunted heatedly. "I'm just gonna kick your ass and then get back to Seifer, ya know."

"I really don't see that hap…"

You could imagine the look of surprise on his face – he was literally shocked. A charge of electrical energy exploded from the base of Raijin's weapon, tossing the former SOLDIER across the flower field. Cloud props himself on his elbows, groaning lightly from his aching muscles, and looked back at the Balamb bully with a new perspective. Sparks of electricity momentarily raced across the surface of his staff before they disappeared – Cloud didn't realize that these kids knew magic.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention." Selphie said, once again acting like she had just remembered something important. "Raijin is very good at using Thunder-magic, so it's a good idea if you don't touch him or you might get shocked."

"Is there anything else you failed to mention?" Cloud glared.

"I don't know." Selphie shrugged.

"Minerva, I'm really missing Yuffie right about now." Cloud grumbled.

"Time to get serious, ya know!" Raijin exclaimed.

The brawn of Balamb jumped into the air with his electrified staff forward and dived after Cloud like a falling meteor. The spiky-haired warrior, still stiff from his earlier shock, managed to prop his hands against the ground and back-flipped away to dodge the attack. Raijin's staff slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, releasing a quick pulse of electrified energy that caused both Cloud and Selphie to stagger. Cloud only just managed to catch himself in time before Raijin was already on him, swinging his electrified weapon in a downwards motion. The former SOLDIER knew he was going to regret this, but Cloud instinctively slapped his hands on either side of the blunt instrument, stopping the weapon in its place. Of course, Raijin's Thunder-magic was still active and Cloud was feeling the full force of his mystical energy burning every nerve in his body. Despite being physically stronger, Cloud knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for long. He looked over Raijin's shoulder, staring intently at Selphie, who was standing next to his motorcycle. There was only one chance.

"Selphie…" Cloud shouted in a strained tone. "On my bike…third slot on the right…"

"On it!" Selphie said with unnatural seriousness.

While Cloud continued to struggle under the pressure of Raijin's personal storm, Selphie jumped on the seat of the Fenrir and scanned over the controls. Fenrir was a unique and complicated machine, but Selphie already seemed to understand the mechanics behind the vehicle in a matter of seconds. Though she may act cute and ditzy, she was one of the more intelligent students in Balamb Garden – Computers and Vehicles were his greatest talents. It only took her a couple of seconds to find the switch that opened Fenrir's compartments, unlocking Cloud's hidden arsenal. Selphie was surprised that a guy like him would be carrying six intricate swords in the hull of his motorcycle, but she had no time to ask questions. Grabbing the one he requested – a double-side, two-handed sword with a hollowed center – Selphie pulled the sword out and started running back to the fight. Unfortunately, the blade was heavy for a person of her size and strength, she it took a while to drag the sword to where it was needed. Once close enough, Selphie called out.

"Here! Catch!"

Putting all her strength into it, Selphie threw the heavy sword in the air, falling on her butt in the process. It wasn't a particularly good throw, but it was enough for Cloud to snatch it out of the air. Unlike Selphie, he was able to carry the blade with only one hand – years of training pays off.

"Thanks, kid!" Cloud shouted to Selphie before looking back to his opponent. "All right, playtime's over."

Raijin didn't have the chance to move before Cloud swiped his sword upwards through the middle of the electrified staff. The two halves of Raijin's weapon were thrown in opposite directions – their magic permanently lost – and the bulky bully was flipped backwards and landed on his stomach. Despite not being attacked directly, Raijin was uncharacteristically weak – he finally realized that he was out of his league. The muscle of the Disciplinary Committee lifted himself to his hands and knees, only to feel the cold edge of Cloud's blade pressing against the back of his neck.

"Even you aren't stupid enough to keep going." Cloud stated. "Now are you ready to sit down and talk or do I have to force you?"

"Ugh! That wasn't fair, ya know!" Raijin yelled childishly. "If Seifer were here, he'd kick your…"

Not a moment later, the bully of Balamb Garden was promptly knocked out when a pair of bright-red nunchaku smacked him across the face. The owner of the dangerous weapons, surprisingly, was none other than Selphie Tilmitt, who was twirling the chain-linked weapon with perfect grace.

"Stupid Raijin." Selphie murmured as she slipped the nunchaku down her dress; how she managed to keep it there was anyone's guess. "No one talks that way to Sir Cloud."

"Sir Cloud?" Cloud asked with a raised brow.

"You were totally cool, Sir Cloud!" Selphie exclaimed in a fan-girlish way. "I can't wait to get back to Balamb Garden so that I can blog about you to my friends! Maybe I should even start another webpage dedicated to you! Ooh, think I can get an exclusive interview."

"Um…we'll see." Cloud answered uncomfortably, looking back at the unconscious Raijin. "What do we do about him? We just can't leave him here."

"Yeah, the monster might eat his brains." Selphie giggled teasingly. "Then the monsters would get indigestion and probably throw them back up."

"Please stop." Cloud groaned. "You're jokes aren't funny – just disturbing. Anyway, we should probably take him back to the 7th Heaven with us and see if he knows anything about what's been happening lately. Maybe he could help figure out a way back home. I just need to readjust the Fenrir and…"

The spiky-haired warrior was cut off by the thunderous roar of Fenrir's mighty engines. Cloud immediately flipped around just in time to see Selphie as she took off down the road aboard his precious vehicle, laugh merrily along the way. The former SOLDIER remained stared into the distance with sword in hand and Raijin at his feet as the gentle breeze carried across the field of flower. Yeah, it was very awkward.

"Shit." Cloud cursed.

* * *

"She stole your bike!" Tifa laughed hysterically, slapping her hand on repeatedly of the bar table.

After Selphie stole his only mode of transportation, which Cloud slapped her over the head for, the former SOLDIER had been forced to walk the remaining ten miles back to Edge with Raijin on his shoulders. This led to a lot of awkward questions – including an eventful encounter with Reno and Rude – but Cloud managed to make it back to the 7th Heaven with some of his dignity intact. Although for a while, he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. But every time he looked back, there was nothing there. Though there was one point during the trip, he saw a rose petal in the middle of the street – the same kind that was found near Aerith's church. Cloud never let down his guard since then.

When he arrived at the 7th Heaven, he grateful to find that Fenrir was parked right in from in perfect condition. Selphie must have followed the onboard navigator to get back home. When walking inside, he found the academy girl talking animatedly with the bar matron and Cloud's childhood friend, Tifa Lockhart.

Tifa was a stunning woman with dark-brown hair that touched to her lower back, distinctive red eyes, and a very, very generous bust – Selphie glared at them jealously. Her attire consisted of a white shirt under a black zip-up vest, a pair of black shorts, a pair of jet-black sneakers, and a short duster around her waist that touched to her heels. Like Cloud, she also wore a pink ribbon of her bicep in memory of her beloved friend. It wasn't so surprising that Cloud had a crush on her during his childhood, but that had been before he met that kind and beautiful flower girl in the slums of Midgar.

The moment they walked in and greeted her, Raijin…conveniently woke up and took a seat at the bar. Sneaky bastard was smarter than he looked. Cloud had just finished explaining the day's events and Tifa was laughing so hard that she was actually crying.

"Are you done yet?" Cloud questioned dully.

"S-s-so-sor-r-r-ry." Tifa coughed, lowering her tone to a snort. "But you've gotta admit, it is kinda funny. You getting you bike stolen by a teenaged school girl. It doesn't get any better than that!"

"Can I just get a beer?" Cloud groaned, rest his head against his palm. "A strong one, please?"

"I'll take one, ya know." Raijin requested.

"Me, too!" Selphie added excitedly.

"How old are you guys?" Tifa questioned suspiciously.

"Uh…." They responded.

"Thought as much." Tifa concluded victoriously, handing the mind-numbing beverage to her friend. "So you two. You live in a place called Balamb Garden – a military academy to join something called SeeD?" The two schoolmates nodded. "Funny, you think we would have heard something like that."

"Maybe it's some secret project that Shin-Ra cooked up and doesn't want the public to know about." Cloud guessed.

"But the Balamb Garden is available to everyone." Selphie proclaimed. "People between the ages of five and fifteen are eligible to apply, but they have to graduate before they turn twenty. It was founded fifteen years ago by Cid and Edea Kramer to be a training institution so we can be ready to fight Ultimecia if she ever showed up again."

"Fifteen years ago?" Tifa blinked surprisingly. "Cloud, wasn't that around the time when the SOLDIER program was made public."

"Close enough." Cloud said with a hint of suspicion, turning to the classmates. "Let me asked you something. Do the words Sephiroth, Meteor, or Geostigma mean anything to you two."

"Never heard of them, ya know." Raijin said clueless.

"I saw a meteor shower once." Selphie smiled. "But I don't think that counts."

"Just as I thought." Cloud said in a final tone. "Sephiroth was a famous figure known for single-handedly winning the Wutai War and was SOLDIER's poster boy. Meteor and Geostigma were also major events that took place world-wide. It's impossible for them to be here without knowing any of this."

"What are you saying, Cloud?" Tifa asked anxiously.

"I'm saying…these two aren't from our world." Cloud concluded.

"We're in another world!" Selphie screamed; Cloud and Raijin fell out of their seats in shock. "Is that even possible?"

"Now that I think about it…" Tifa hummed thoughtfully. "Jenova was known as the Calamity of the Skies, but even she had to come from somewhere. If it's possible that Jenova could travel from world to world, there's got to be a chance that these two can do it, too."

"But the question is how they ended up here." Cloud summarized.

"Well, I saw this big light before I ended up in that field." Selphie said.

"Me, too, ya know." Raijin nodded.

"Something seriously strange is going on here." Cloud proclaimed. "And I mean stranger than usual."

The entire bar went silent as everyone tried to find an answer for their dilemma. Though Selphie and Raijin were at a complete loss, the entire incident seemed to stir something in the back of Cloud and Tifa's minds. For some reason, they had a sense of familiarity with the event – almost as if they had experienced it in some forgotten past. But no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't recall it. Sighing heavily, Cloud turned his stool to face the window, staring out into the busy streets of Edge. But at that moment, a single rose petal passed through…and then he heard it.

**_CLICK_**

"Everyone, down!" Cloud commanded

Selphie and Raijin were confused by the outburst that they failed to respond as Cloud dived to the floor. Luckily, Tifa jumped over the bar and grabbed the two schoolmates as the window was shattered by a series of gunshots. There were screams of scrambling residents outside, but the shooter didn't relent in his attack, breaking over a dozen wine bottles and leaving holes in the opposite wall. But when it became clear that he wasn't making progress, the shooting stopped. Taking chase of the momentary ceasefire, Cloud grabbed the nearest table and threw it out the window in the direction of the shooter. A large crack of splintering wood echoed from outside – the table had been broken immediately. Cloud looked back at Tifa, who was protecting their guests with her body, and both nodded knowingly to each other. Cloud climbed over the broken remains of the window, hoping to give them a chance to find safety while he dealt with the shooter. Though the attacker wasn't at all what he expected.

The shooter was a woman – possibly the same age as him – with shock-pink hair that was cut short except for the length touching her left shoulder. Her clothing was particularly strange; he had only seen something similar in old fairy tales. She wore a silver and gold suit of armor that resembled the Valkyrie would were in the ancient legends. Her knightly attire included thigh-length silver boots, elbow-length gauntlets, silver shoulder guards, crimson flaps in front and back of her waist, a sash of white feather over her left leg, a round shield strapped to her left arm, and a golden bird on her chest plate.

Her weapon was just as unique as her. It looked like a tradition silver sword with golden writing on the flat-side, but Cloud could make out the intricate features of the weapon to tell that it was capable of changing form. And judging by the several bullet holes in the 7th Heaven, he already knew that he was capable of becoming a shooting weapon – a gunblade, if it were.

Cloud glared at the unknown woman in armor, partially feeling a sense of familiarity about her. The Valkyrie woman also noticed something strangely aware about this man standing before her. For some reason, she had a feeling that she had already fought him before – she instinctively knew that he wasn't one to be underestimated.

"Who are you?" Cloud questioned seriously.

"I am Lightning." The woman known as Lightning announced, matching his level of roughness. "Are you Cloud Strife?"

"Yeah, why?" Cloud responded.

"Don't take this personally, but…" Lightning said slowly, raising her gunblade to the man. "I'm here to kill you."

"Perfect." Cloud said sarcastically.

* * *

**Please, Read and review.**


	3. Lightning Strikes

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts © Square Enix

**Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Lightning Strikes**

Cloud Strife often wondered if it was impossible for him to live a normal life, which seemed true at this point. Within the range of four hours, the Hero of Midgar had nearly crashed, beaten senselessly, electrocuted, had his motorcycle stolen, and dodged a shower of bullets aimed for his skull. And the saddest part: this was considered a normal day for Cloud. Now standing in the middle of a deserted street in Edge, the former SOLDIER steadied himself under the heated gaze of the pink-haired Valkyrie only a few feet away from him. Shooting a moment glance at her weapon – a unique sword-gun device – Cloud inwardly scolded himself for not at least grabbing the First Tsurugi before stepping out.

"Who are you?" Cloud questioned seriously.

"I am Lightning." The woman known as Lightning announced, matching his level of roughness. "Are you Cloud Strife?"

"Yeah, why?" Cloud responded.

"Don't take this personally, but…" Lightning said slowly, raising her gunblade to the man. "I'm here to kill you."

"You're not the first to say that." Cloud commented, not the least bit intimidated by the woman. "But I have the feeling that you're not the type of person that would boast without having the skill to back it up. I won't make the same mistake of underestimating you like last time, Lightning."

"Last time?" Cloud looked back, finding Tifa, Selphie and Raijin hanging around the broken windowsill. "Cloud, do you know her?"

"I've never met her before." Cloud proclaimed honestly; Tifa looked skeptical. "At least, I don't remember meeting her. My mind and memory say that we've never met, but heart and soul are saying that she's one of the most powerful warriors I've ever met."

"So you feel it, too." Lightning said cautiously, earning the attention of the group. "The sense of familiarity – the feeling that this isn't the first time we've crossed paths before. I guess this is what the old man meant when he told me I would be meeting someone familiar, yet unfamiliar. I was worried he was senile."

"Old man?" Cloud questioned. "What old man?"

"That's not important." Lightning stated quickly, acting like she said something she wasn't supposed to. "All that matters is that I have been sent on an important mission to hunt and destroy Cloud Strife." Her finger inched closer to the gunblade's trigger. "And I will complete the mission."

"Just like a good soldier would." Cloud stated; Lightning flinched slightly at the mention. "If you want to fight me, I'm more than willing to help you. But I have one condition."

"And that is?" Lightning questioned.

"We fight in an area of my choosing." Cloud demanded strongly. "Edge is too crowded and I don't want anyone getting caught in the crossfire." He pointed to northern terrain in the direction of widespread ruins. "I suggest we head towards Midgar. The whole city has been abandoned for years, so we'll have the full run of the area and won't have to worry about civilian casualties."

The pink-haired Valkyrie hummed thoughtfully for a moment while she examined the distant landscape – her gunblade never moved away from her target. If they had moved the location to the Midgar, Cloud would have the home field advantage due to his familiarity of the terrain and knowledge of the structural area. Lightning could have simply declined his demand and shoot his between the eyes – it wouldn't be difficult from this distance. But there were two problems with that method. First, Lightning was a former soldier of the Guardian Corps and the idea of protecting the people was ingrained in her mind. Besides the barmaid and the two teenagers hiding in the tavern, there were a number of people cautiously creeping around corners and looking out their windows in curiosity. There were too many civilians at risk and Lightning's moral compass wouldn't allow them to get hurt.

Second, there was still a sense of familiarity between her and Cloud. Just like the blond swordsman, Lightning had no memory of meeting him, but her feelings were saying just the opposite. In a way, the ex-soldier felt inclined to show gratitude to the man for something she couldn't remember. Sighing deeply, Lightning moved her finger away from the trigger and holstered her gunblade.

"I accept your terms." Lightning conceded.

"I'll drive us there." Cloud offered, waving a hand to Fenrir. "It'll be faster than walking."

The pink-haired Valkyrie raised a brow at the man's generosity, wondering if he was being sincere or this was some elaborate plot to knock her off. Once again, Lightning heart overrode her brain and decided better to trust Cloud. The blond swordsman had already saddled himself on his beloved motorcycle and flipped the engines on when Tifa came hustling out of the bar with a worried expression on her face.

"Cloud, you're not seriously going to fight her, are you?" Tifa questioned bemused.

"I don't really have a choice." Cloud stated, readjusting himself as Lightning took the space behind him. "I have a feeling that – Lightning, was it? – isn't the type of person that'll let me just walk away from this. And besides, I have a feeling that she might have some answers to our…little problem." He nodded pointedly towards Selphie and Raijin peeking out the window. "I'll be fine…maybe."

"Maybe?" Tifa exclaimed.

The blond swordsman quickly revved his motorcycle into gear and took off before the barmaid had a chance to chew him out or smack him into next week. They may be best friends, but Tifa is insanely strong and can be very scary when she wants to be. Lightning was only barely able to wrap her arms around the former SOLDIER's waist before she was thrown off, which she was starting to suspect might be part of his plan. Cloud, having memorized all of Edge's traffic routes and time schedules, blazed a trail down that road at speeds Lightning was certain were well beyond the city limits. There was a moment where she was reminded of another irresponsible blond and resisted to urge to punch him in the jaw – knocking out the driving going ninety on an behemoth of a motorcycle was not a sensible idea.

Though he was unbelievably reckless, there was no denying that he was skilled behind the wheel of a motorcycle as he seamlessly swerved in and out of crowded streets and narrow back alleys without hesitating. And amazingly enough, they were out of the crowded town and driving through the decayed ruins of Midgar within the next five minutes. Just from a single glance, Lightning could tell that the area was once a thriving city that had quickly gone to seed – something she could compare with her first home. While she was busy taking in her surroundings, the pink-haired Valkyrie suddenly lurched forward when the motorcycle came to a screeching halt.

Her face buried into the thread of Cloud's sweater, Lightning's eyes narrowed to the point where her stare may have burned a hole into his back. She pushed herself away from the blond swordsman, removing herself from Fenrir in a dignified manner, when the pink-haired Valkyrie realized where they had stopped. They were standing in front of an old church, which was amazingly the only structure that was still standing while the rest of the city was in disarray. Lightning had followed Cloud here during her earlier scouting mission – this place was obviously important to him. Though it was in a pitiful state, the Ex-Guardian Corps soldier had to admire the effort he took trying to restore the building. While Lightning was examining Aerith's church, Cloud took the opportunity to remove all six of his weapons from Fenrir's secret compartments – better safe than sorry.

"This place is a disaster area." Lightning commented, referring to their surroundings. "It's like a bomb went off."

"A fiery, fifty million ton bomb from the sky." Cloud said under his breath.

"What?" Lightning snapped confused.

"Nothing." Cloud answered nonchalantly, closing up his bike. "Midgar has been considered uninhabitable due to leaking Mako reactors, which means we won't have to worry about anyone walking in during our fight. The entire area is free to use as we see fit, but..." He pointed the main blade – First Tsurugi – towards the church. "Stay away from that place or I swear I will show no mercy."

"Very protective, I see." Lightning nodded in agreement, drawing her gunblade into its sword form. "You have my word."

"All right then." Cloud said, moving into his fighter's stance. "Ready when you are."

"Big mistake." Lightning commented.

Only one move and Cloud was already starting to agree with her. The former SOLDIER barely had the chance to raise his sword in defense before the woman glided across the area, slashing her gunblade to cross with his weapon. Sparks ignited from the contact of steel verses steel – Cloud staggered briefly from the blow. Of the two of them, Cloud was definitely superior in terms of strength and could easily push her back, but Lightning moved just as fast as her namesake. If it wasn't for his experience dealing with Yuffie, Cloud was positive he would be dead before he blinked. The pink-haired Valkyrie didn't give him the opportunity to counter as she flipped over his head and landed behind him in one graceful movement. The moment she touched ground, Lightning swung around and stabbed her gunblade for Cloud's spine. Fortunately, the blond swordsman was able to secure one of the Fusion Sword's back blades and removed it from his harness in time to meet the gunblade.

Lightning scowled disappointedly – that trick rarely failed – and flipped backwards away from her target, barely avoiding the First Tsurugi's edge. Cloud used his enemy's momentary retreat to remove his second back blade and attach both swords to the First Tsurugi, interlocking them together. Once Lightning regained her foot, she quickly moved into a crouch and shifted her weapon to gun mode, taking a quick shot at the blond swordsman. In an instant, Cloud withdrew a fourth sword from his holster – a hollow blade – and deflected the projectile with the surface of the covering. There was a sharp "**_ping"_** and the stray bullet etched itself into the wall…directly behind Lightning. The pink-haired warrior stared at her opponent with wide eyes, barely even recognizing the small cut on her right cheek.

It was humanly impossible to deflect a bullet going at fifty miles per hour with a sheet-thin sword – that kinda stuff only happened in movies. Concluding that Cloud had survived by a mere fluke, Lightning brought her gunblade up to level and unleashed a volley of rapid fire bullets. Working simultaneously with both swords, the former SOLDIER move at superhuman speeds and repelled each of shells that would have left Lightning dumbfounded had she not been so focused.

Lightning's assault was relentless that Cloud was beginning to think she had unlimited ammo. The blond swordsman knew he couldn't keep this up forever considering the shots had perfect precision and one wrong move would lead to instant death. After repelling a few more shots, Cloud braced himself and jumped into the air, interlocking the hollow blade with the front of the First Tsurugi in the process. Now Lightning hadn't expected him to get far, so imagine the shocked expression on her face with the blond swordsman landed on the roof of a building twenty feet above them. The pink-haired Valkyrie was utterly stupefied – was he even human? Cloud looked down on his opponent for a single moment before disappearing beyond the edge.

"Ok, that was impressive." Lightning said admittedly. "At least this will be interesting."

The Ex-Guardian Corps soldier raced through the entrance of the building where Cloud disappeared, kicking down the door to the stairwell – it wasn't likely that the elevators were working. Lightning was thankful for her own dedication towards fitness once she charged up twelve flights of stairs without breaking a sweat. But the pink-haired gunwoman stopped once reaching the thirteenth floor, hearing a faint scraping sound beyond the door. Lightning leaned against the wall, taking the opportunity to check how many rounds she had left in her weapon. Twenty-two shots left – she would have to make them count. She poked her gunblade around the corner cautiously before following shortly after, keeping herself cautious in case her adversary should show up.

Lightning treaded carefully through the floor, keeping her gunblade positioned to fire around every corner. Her opponent was a clever one and would no doubt use the environment to his advantage – a prospect she had dreaded from the start. After spending closer to five minute searching the entire floor, Lightning was closer to blaming everything on paranoia. But at the end of the last hallway, the pink-haired Valkyrie was able to recognize to edge of Cloud's Fusion Sword poking discreetly around the corner. Most people would have moved closer to investigate, but years of experience and commonsense taught her otherwise.

"He's using his sword as a decoy to lure me in." Lightning scoffed, aiming her weapon in the opposite direction. "Did he honestly think that would fool me?"

"Not really."

Lightning failed to hold in a gasp of surprise. What she had originally believed to be a decoy turned out to be Cloud Strife purposely exposing his sword, knowing that the Ex-Guardian Corps soldier wouldn't fall for it. Now with her back was to him, Cloud withdrew one of the two side blades that remained in his holster and charged before she had the chance to turn around. Lightning gritted her teeth in self-loathing and swung her left arm around, using her trusted shield to ward off the blade. The pink-haired gunwoman used the momentum of the colliding weapons to swerve around and face her opponent, wasting no time shooting him down. Unfortunately for her, Cloud stabbed the nearly-completed Fusion Sword into the floor and shielded himself behind the weapon, adding the side blade to bring it closer towards completion. It had become obvious to this point that shooting Cloud would be impossible and switched her gunblade to sword form.

"You're more interesting than I was led to believe, Cloud Strife." Lightning complimented. "Using your sword as bait, knowing that I would think it was a decoy and throwing off my guard. Have you had some form of military training?"

"That could be argued." Cloud said enigmatically as he pulled his sword back; Lightning was surprised he could lift a weapon that large with one hand. "What about you? You act like a good little soldier, so I can imagine you've had some form of military training."

"I was trained in the Guardian Corps academy on Cocoon." Lightning proclaimed proudly. "Training is the art of survival on Gran Pulse, and learned the ways of magic and logic in Valhalla."

"Cocoon, Gran Pulse, Valhalla." Cloud repeated thoughtfully. "All places that don't exist on The Planet. So I was right to guess that you're from another world just like Selphie and Raijin. Tell me, does the name Balamb Garden mean anything to you."

"Never heard of it." Lightning replied.

"Then that means you're not from the same world as those kids." Cloud sighed exasperatedly. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"That's what I'm here to find out." Lightning stated, stabbing her sword in Cloud's direction. "I was promised that if I could defeat Cloud Strife, I could return to my world and save my sister."

"And who promised you that?" Cloud questioned suspiciously.

"I never caught his name." Lightning answered slowly. "All I know is that he is a man with silver hair and wears a black coat."

"Silver hair, black coat…" Cloud repeated; his breathing hitched for a short moment. "That can't be…that can't be right. Is…is Sephiroth…?"

Whoever the strange man was, he clearly disturbed Cloud to some point where even Lightning almost pitied him. But she could let herself get distracted. Her sister had paid the ultimate price because of Lightning's failure – she needed to set things right. Taking opportunity of the blond swordsman's distraction, Lightning lunged forward and stabbed her gunblade towards his ribcage. Cloud was able to pull himself together just in time to withdraw his sixth sword – the second side blade – and brought it around to meet with Lightning's weapon. The pink-haired Valkyrie shot her deadliest scowl as she brought back her left hand, closing it into a fist. But before she had the chance to throw a punch, Cloud dragged his nearly-completed Fusion Sword around and swiped it across the air. Under normal conditions, a person wouldn't be able to use such a large weapon in a restricted space, but Cloud was the exception to the rule.

The Fusion Sword forged a wide scar in the hallway wall as it came around in full swing. Lightning, sensing the danger, canceled her attack and dropped to the floor, barely dodged the sword's edge by a hair's breadth. Though she may have avoided decapitation, Lightning had unexpectedly fallen into Cloud's trap. The former SOLDIER lifted his foot and kicked the pink-haired Valkyrie under her chin, using enough force to lift her in the air. With his target now within range, Cloud swiped his side blade at the armored woman. At the last possible second, Lightning brought her shield up and blocked the strike, but the impact sent her straight through the ceiling.

She wasn't sure how, but the Ex-Guardian Corps soldier was shot through every ceiling in the building until she flopped on to the rooftop like an old ragdoll. The attack had left her winded and the armored woman was forced to use her gunblade for support just to kneel. Cloud would be coming soon enough and Lightning gave herself a once-over before he arrived. Just from that one shot, Lightning's armor was cracked in various places, a few feathers were torn from her sash, and hair was left in disarray. Cloud Strife was definitely one of the most powerful opponent's she had ever come across – easily rivaling Caius. Speaking of whom, the blond swordsman jumped through the hole that Lightning created, landed just a few feet away from his adversary.

"You…" Lightning said tiredly, clumsily staggering to her feet. "You…really are…something."

"Now that I know a bit about you, I have some questions." Cloud stated with unnerving seriousness. "The man who sent you to kill me. What do you know about him? Was his name Sephiroth? Did he carry a long sword or have strange eyes like mine?"

"How should…I know?" Lightning panted, weakly moving into her stance. "All I care about is getting back home and saving Serah."

"Serah…" Cloud said softly. "That's your sister's name, right. Listen, I can understand that you want to protect your family – I would do the same thing if it were Tifa, Denzel, or Marlene. But can't go around trusting a man like Sephiroth. Once he's through with you, he'll just kill you or worse." He held out his hand, looking very sincere. "Let me help you, Lightning."

"I don't need your help." Lightning denied stubbornly. "I don't need anyone's help. I…I will protect Serah… I need to protect Serah. Because…because…"

"Lightning…" Cloud murmured.

"Because I'm the only one that can!" Lightning shouted.

Either crazy or suicidal, Lightning charged ahead and leapt across the rooftop with the gunblade gripped firmly in her hand. Cloud kept his cool as the pink-haired Valkyrie approached him and attached the remaining side blade to the rest of his weapons, finally completing the Fusion Sword. He dragged the weapon behind him and gripped it firmly with both hands; never letting his eyes to wander from the opponent. As the distance started to close between them, Cloud and Lightning simultaneously slashed their swords across, creating a shower of sparks upon impact. Though they were both strong warriors, the fight was already determined by this point. The moment the Fusion Sword and gunblade made contact, Cloud's superior strength won out and sent Lightning flying backwards – bits of her armor breaking off.

The pink-haired warrior was momentarily disoriented that she hadn't realized she had fallen over the edge of the rooftop. It was at the last second, but she managed to grab on to the ledge, keeping her from plummeting twenty feet to her death. But within all the confusion, Lightning had unconsciously released her cherished gunblade, which was now freefalling back to The Planet. Now left literally hanging on the edge of life and death with her weapon missing and her armor broken, Lightning had never felt so vulnerable in her life. And it didn't help that Cloud was looming overhead – his expression solemn and unreadable.

"Just surrender already." Cloud requested. "We both know how this is going to end."

"You're forgetting the most important rule of military." Lightning said, suddenly regaining her confidence. "A soldier never surrenders."

And with that, the Ex-Guardian Corps soldier pressed her feet against the building and kicked off, allowing gravity to drag her back.

"Shit!" Cloud cursed shockingly.

Most would think that Lightning had gone temporarily insane, but that wasn't her style. Instead of willing to submit to her defeat, the pink-haired Valkyrie reached into the feathery sash, digging her fingers around in search of something important. Once the feeling of smooth glass reached her fingers, a sense of victory formed washed over her heart. She retrieved the object from the ruffles, revealing it to be a beautiful, pink rose made from pure crystal. Sighing softly and closing her hands over the crystal in a form of prayer, Lightning uttered one word that would turn the tides of this battle.

"Odin…"

An explosion of pink light illuminated the ruins of Midgar that Cloud was forced to use his arm as a shield to protect his eyes. What the hell was going on? What happened to Lightning? But when the light finally faded and Cloud was able to lower his arm, he quickly found decided that she was the least of his concerns at the moment. He didn't ask how or why, but a steady surge of electrical energy was twisting a path around the debris of buildings and snaking a path at the blond swordsman. Cloud, not wanting to be shocked twice in one day, jumped off the ledge and landed on another building thirty feet away just as the electric surge smashed into the construct. Cloud watched in pure amazement as the lightning bolt effortlessly reduced one of the most stable buildings in the area to pure ash. He would say it was unnatural, but he had seen stranger things in the past. Suddenly, the air echoed with the chatter of what sounded like…a horse?

The former SOLDIER searched the area from top to bottom until he realized that the noise was coming directly above him. He chanced a look upwards and narrowly tripped on his own feet when he discovered a snow-white horse clad in gold and jade armor was trotting around the skyline without fail. And even more amazing was Lightning riding the mystical steed, showing an even greater resemblance between her and the Valkyries of legend. To replace the gunblade that she had lost, Lightning now carried jade, hook-shaped swords in each hand – both equal in size of the Fusion Sword.

"Summoning." Cloud murmured strangely. "I didn't know she had summoning Materia."

"By the grace of Etro, let thunder herald your arrival." Lightning chanted ominously; the steed whinnied dangerously. "I have summoned you, sunderer of falsehood. Now with light as my weapon and lightning as my steed, I call upon the herald of truth: Odin!"

"Odin?" Cloud exclaimed questionably. "But that can't be right! Yuffie's been keep that Materia closely guard for years! What the hell are you playing at?"

"I have no idea what Materia is, nor do I care." Lightning proclaimed, regaining her usual calm. "Odin has been my trusted Eidolon for three years and has loyally served me until this time. With the god of thunder at my side, the balance of power has finally shifted."

"Eidolon…" Cloud hummed thoughtfully, tightening his grip on the Fusion Sword. "That's right, she's from another world – this could be her world's version of summoning magic. And if this Odin is even half as strong as the Odin in this world, something tells me this is not going to be easy."

"It's all end now!" Lightning proclaimed.

The Valkyrie and steed charged a path for the Hero of Midgar – claps of thunder rippled through the atmosphere.

* * *

**Please, Read and Review**


	4. Lightning Strikes Twice

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

******Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**  


* * *

**Chapter Three: Lightning Strikes Twice**

"This seems to turn into a weekly thing." Tifa sighed tiredly.

In the aftermath of Lightning's failed ambush, the powerhouse barmaid needed to refurbish her business and restock the racks of expensive wine and alcohol that were blown to pieces. Usually, Tifa would be doing this alone as Cloud was usually busy with his delivery service and she didn't want Denzel or Marlene near the broken glass. Fortunately, she was able to "persuade" the two students from Balamb Garden to aid in the cleanup. Raijin did all the heavy lifting by bringing in new sets of tables and chairs stored in the backroom – Tifa chose to buy in bulk due to the rising number of bar fights. Meanwhile, Selphie assisted in the sweeping and cleaning with a flashy smile. The barmaid couldn't understand why Cloud didn't like her; she was a sweet little angel.

They were just about finished with the repairs when the front door slammed open. Tifa was feeling edgy after Lightning's attack and was about to clock the intruder, but stopped her fist short within a few inches of his face. The red-eyed barmaid felt ashamed that she nearly knuckled two innocent children, both of whom had lived in her home for years. The smaller one was a girl at seven years of age with chestnut-brown hair that was braided in the back, tied by a pink ribbon, and wearing a modest-white dress. It was somewhat eerie how much Marlene resembled her idol, Aerith.

The boy that Tifa nearly knocked into the stratosphere was only a few years older at the age of nine with messy, dark-brown hair and innocent blue eyes. His style of clothing was similar to Cloud's that included dark pants, black shoes with white designs, and a dirt-brown shirt with a black coat overtop. He also wore a necklace holding a single silver ring – Tifa was always curious of the item, but never questioned it. She knew it was something personal from his tragic past. Meanwhile, Denzel was left momentarily paralyzed with his guardian's fist so close to his nose that he was almost afraid he might have done something to upset her. Tifa sighed in relief as she lowered her fist and removed her black leather gloves.

"Sorry about that." Tifa apologized, smiling at them in a motherly way. "I've had a long day and I'm a little wound up now."

"You should take a break, Tifa." Marlene proclaimed kindly; another similarity to the flower girl. "After all the hard work you put in, you deserve it."

"Hey, Tifa, who are they?" Denzel asked, pointing to the newcomers.

"Hey, little people!" Selphie waved cheerfully. "I'm Selphie! Nice to meet ya!"

"The name's Raijin, ya know." Raijin said, moving into a flexing pose.

"Um…I didn't know, really." Denzel sweat dropped.

"What are you two doing home so early?" Tifa questioned, glancing over at the clock before scolding the children. "School doesn't let out for another hour. You didn't get in another fight, did you, Denzel?"

"No, I swear I didn't." Denzel claimed innocently.

"School let out early because of the storm." Marlene answered.

"Storm?" Tifa repeated.

Nodding at the mention, Marlene grabbed her guardian's hand and dragged her outside in the middle of Edge's crowded streets. Normally, that type of action was considerably dangerous and Tifa would ground the girl for a week for even considering it. But all traffic had come to a standstill and street was crowded with people pointing and staring in the same direction. Feeling curious herself, the powerhouse barmaid followed their line of sight and gasped slightly. Storm clouds were raging over the ruins of Midgar, flashing bolts of lightning across the sky and shaking the ground with monstrous booms of thunder. How could Tifa have not noticed it earlier?

"It just appeared out of nowhere half-an-hour ago." Denzel informed, appearing with Selphie and Raijin. "I was listening to news reports on the way back and everyone's saying that it's only happening around Midgar in Sector 5."

"_That's where Aerith's church is." _Tifa realized. "_Then that means…oh, Cloud, please come back safely_"

* * *

Safe wasn't the best way to describe the situation. Cloud Strife launched himself to the nearest building as a bolt of lightning struck where he once stood, dropping to the floor to avoid wayward debris. It was bad enough that he had been forced into a pointless fight with a beautiful woman – Cloud didn't deny that she was fairly attractive – dressed up in Valkyrie armor and carrying a strange Gunblade weapon. Now she was carrying two massive, hook-shaped sword that shot electric bolts and galloping across the skies on a white horse she claimed to be Odin, one of the most powerful summons on the The Planet. Cloud had to admit she was the perfect picture of a vengeful Valkyrie warrior, which would be good if her anger wasn't directed towards him.

Lightning sailed over the skyline of Midgar's ruins with Odin carrying her after the blond swordsman. She had to admit that Cloud was one of the strongest warriors she had ever met – no one had bested her with a sword since Caius. Staring down at the dark-clothed man, Lightning felt a hint a respect for him…and a sense of familiarity that wouldn't seem to leave. Every time Lightning tried to act on these feelings, a small part of some forgotten memory stitched itself to the larger picture.

She was…standing on a castle on an unknown world…or was it a performance stage? Lightning, garbed in her former Guardian Corps uniform, was standing side-by-side with a man dressed in knight's armor. He looked so young and confused, like a lost child. On the other side was Cloud appearing younger, thinner, and much less sociable than the one she knew now. His sword was the same shape, but it didn't seem to have the same separation quality as his current one. The man standing next to him was much larger and much darker – like evil was his true nature. Lightning had drawn her Gunblade and her partner summoned a sword and shield combo in a flash of light. Looking over at her adversary, the spiky-haired man seemed…sad?

"You shouldn't daydream in the middle of a fight."

"What?" Lightning exclaimed shockingly.

Lightning scolded herself for her lack of attentiveness. While the Valkyrie warrior was fantasizing over what may or may not be a forgotten memory, Cloud had launched himself for a direct assault. If it wasn't for his last minute remark, she would have been dead before she realized it – Lightning briefly wandered if her opponent knew this. Either way, Lightning swung her hook-sword around to meet with Cloud's Fusion Sword, cascading the fallen city in electric sparks. Even with Odin's strength to back her up, Cloud was still superior in terms of raw power nearly knocking Lightning off of the Eidolon's saddle. Though there were two advantages Lightning had on her side: a second sword and gravity.

The pink-haired Valkyrie gripped her second hook-sword and slashed across the air to meet with her opponent's waist. But Cloud was resourceful. The spiky-haired swordsman unlocked one of the back blades from the Fusion Sword, making a hasty grab for the weapon to intercept Lightning's sword. With his concentration broke, the former Guardian Corps soldier pushed against her swords to thrust Cloud away, sending him plummeting back to the Planet.

Free-falling from a hundred feet would be excessively dangerous to most, but Cloud merely took it in stride. Replacing the back blade of his Fusion Sword, the spiky-haired swordsman lowered his arms to his sides and redirected himself towards the closest building. Once within range, Cloud stabbed the Fusion Sword into the wall to slow his momentum, carving a twenty foot scar in the concrete before he finally stopped. The former SOLDIER hefted himself up and placed his feet precariously on the edge of the broadsword before looking back up to the female warrior. Cloud briefly found it funny how similar this situation was to his last battle against Sephiroth. Though in Cloud's preference, he would take the one-winged angel's confident smirk over Lighting's loathsome scowl – he was never any good with angry women.

"Listen, Lightning, I think this has gone on long enough!" Cloud shouted, readjusting himself carefully on the Fusion Sword. "Just try to calm down for a moment and think this through!"

"I've done all the thinking I need!" Lightning snapped. "Once I defeat you, I can save my sister!"

"And how can you be sure of that?" Cloud questioned.

Lightning failed to respond; the question running through her mind. How could she be so sure that defeating this one random stranger in a fight to the death would allow her to return to her own world and save Serah? When the strange man promised to bring her sister back from the Gates of Death, Lightning was more than willing to believe him. But after Barthandelus and the Fal'Cie, it wouldn't be the first time she had been deceived. Her, Sazh, Snow, Hope, Fang, Vanille, Dajh, Serah, Noel – they were all victims to someone else's amusement. With a heavy sigh, Lightning lowered her weapons and commanded Odin to trot lower until they reached Cloud's level. The spiky-haired warrior looked slightly relieved – maybe Lightning had finally seen the error of her judgment.

"I can't be sure." Lightning admitted hopelessly. "The first time I lost Serah, it was because I failed to listen to her and she ended up suffering because of it. I had given up hope on her ever coming back, but her annoying boyfriend refused to let Serah slip away and continued fighting for her sake. I suppose, in some small way, he managed to inspire me."

"He sounds like a great man." Cloud commented.

"In some ways, he is." Lightning admitted grudgingly. "But he's still an idiot. We saved Serah and promised to protect her forever. But because of my own carelessness, Serah lost her life and the Goddess Etro perished as a result. My world was threatened to be swallowed in Chaos and yet, all I could think about was how I had failed my sister. I don't know what happened after that, but all I know is that I have been given a chance to make things right - I can save my sister again."

"And it doesn't matter who you hurt to achieve your goal, right?" Cloud said disappointingly.

"It may be small…" Lightning claimed, increasing the grip on her hook-swords. "But as long as there is some small thread of hope, I'll chase after it until the end. Even if it means taking you out."

"I figured as much." Cloud sighed, kneeling close to the edge of his blade. "So, should we get to round two?"

"Lets." Lightning nodded, raising her hook-swords to intersect. "**Thunderfall!**"

The claps of rolling thunder from above alerted Cloud as a bolt of lightning ripped through the skyline and stabbed in the center of his location. But as the pink-haired Valkyrie expected, he somehow managed to avoid another brush with death. The former SOLDIER placed all his weight on the handle of his Fusion Sword, disconnecting the hollow covering from the rest of the weapon. Cloud ripped the separated blade from the concrete and tossed it skyward, redirecting the electric bolt like a lightning rod. The electrical energy ricocheted off the surface of the hollow blade and blasted a gaping hole through the wall of the building opposite to them.

But while one crisis was diverted, Cloud never lost track of his main objective. While the hollow sword had deflected Lightning's magic, the pink-haired Valkyrie used the attack as a distraction so that she would have an opening to attack Cloud directly. However, Cloud seemed to have prepared for this as he flipped backwards with his feet against the wall, withdrawing his sword from the concrete in a single motion. Lightning's hook-sword only further scarred the wall and Cloud kicked off the building to catch his hollow blade in midair, reconnecting it with the rest of the Fusion Sword.

Lightning looked back following her failed attempt as Cloud landed through the hole he created, disappearing into the darkened halls. Kicking at Odin's sides, the armored warrior commanded her Eidolon to gallop around the structure, looking for any signs of her target's location. Lightning admitted that her spiky-haired adversary was not only insanely strong and agile, but brilliant as well. Cloud understood that Odin wouldn't be able to move freely in a closed space and in a one-on-one match, he would emerge dominant. Lightning was starting to consider this man as her equal, maybe even her superior.

"I should have expected this much." Lightning commented to herself. "Since this is his territory, he knows the area inside and out. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's going to win."

Insides the darkened corridors of the abandoned structure, Cloud was kneeling close to the ground with his eyes poking around the corner, watching Lightning cautiously from a distance. The former SOLDIER had strength and stamina on his side that served as leverage in close combat, but Lightning was an effective distance fighter and her magical prowess surpassed him tenfold. And with that summoning – Eidolon in her words – there was no way he could get close without being struck by lightning.

Cloud slapped himself for that pathetic pun; he had been hanging around Yuffie too much. But ignoring that, Cloud knew that if he had just one good shot, he'd be able to take them both down. He didn't know any techniques that were strong enough to take down something like Odin except Climhazzard, but that would only work if Tifa and the others were assisting him. At this point, he was all out of options…except…

"_But would that work?_" Cloud pondered seriously. "_I've only used it once against Sephiroth and haven't managed to replicate it since. Maybe…"_

"Your time of hiding is over!" Cloud looked back around the corner as Lightning connected the two ends of her hook-swords together. "This is as far as you go! **Razor Gale!**"

"Shit..." Cloud cursed

With a twirl of her double-ended sword, the pink-haired Valkyrie threw a thin circle of wind at a diagonal angle across the building. Despite its fragile appearance, the thin blade cut through the concrete walls like they were made of putty. Cloud barely managed to flatten himself on the floor before the Razor Gale soared over his head, clipping a few of his hairs in the process. As a result of Lightning's attack, the upper half of the structure slid sideways over the edge, crushing a smaller complex just below it. Now exposed by Lightning, Cloud pushed himself to his feet with the Fusion Sword rested on his shoulder.

"This is getting way out of hand." Cloud murmured to himself. "If I don't end this soon, she'll demolish the entire city and Edge along with it." He tightened the grip on his sword. "Guess I have no choice. I need to draw out all the Mako energy I have left for this."

"**Thunderfall!**" Lightning roared.

Cloud snapped his attention back to his pink-haired rival, who crossed her hook-swords skywards once more. Like before, Lightning summoned a bolt of electrical energy from the clouds and used her magic to direct the attack. Cloud grimaced as he jumped sideways to avoid the lightning strike, which eradicated the remains of the building he was previously standing in. While soaring to his next destination, he heard Odin's thunderous call and flipped around, finding the white horse galloping in his direction. The former SOLDIER swiftly pulled his Fusion Sword to ward of Lightning's barrage of sword swings while trying to maintain sense of direction. Cloud was decent in mid-air combat, but he was nowhere near the same level as Sephiroth and had to worry about where and when he would land.

After one particularly rough swing from the Ex-Guardian Corp soldier, Cloud was thrown off course and sent free-falling to another building thirty feet away from his original target. The black-clothed swordsman scrapped against the rooftop with his back, ripping off a section of shirt and leaving a deep cut in his shoulder blade. Ignoring the stinging pain, Cloud used his momentum to flip over and land back on his feet with the Fusion Sword in place to counter. And not a moment too soon as Odin landed on the building, its hooves cracking the stone below and its rider swinging her hook-swords in complex motions.

Left and right, Cloud was forced to endure Lightning's endless barrage of sword swings while trying to avoid Odin's hooves from smashing his head into the ground. It was perfectly coordinated between beast and rider – neither of them was allowing Cloud the opportunity to unlock his swords from the base. And just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, Odin was able to stamp its hooves into Cloud's chest while the blond swordsman was distracted by Lightning. The former SOLDIER doubled over in pain for only a short moment, but that was all the time Lightning needed to finish him off. The Pink-haired Valkyrie intersected her weapons, sending a discharge of electrical energy through the surface.

"**Lightning Strike!**" Lightning shouted.

Her blades scrapped against each other as they pulled apart, creating a row of lightning bolts in their wake. Cloud was unable to pull his defenses in time and allowed the electric waves to pierce him in a much similar way that the Masamune had done in previous encounters. The force behind the bolts thrust Cloud back into the floor, effectively shattering the top level of the structure to rubble and sending waves of debris flying in various directions. Odin had galloped into the sky, preventing any of the wreckage from harming its trusted rider. Lightning, now tired, weak, and sweaty, could finally relax knowing that no human could be struck with a full-scale lightning strike at point blank and live. They'd have to be monsters.

"It's over." Lightning sighed in relief.

"Not quite!"

Lightning gasped in terror – it was impossible! Completely and utterly impossible! But as she looked back at the wreckage, she could no longer deny it as the smokescreen was pushed away to reveal the powerful form of Cloud Strife. Only something was different about him. His energy was visible in waves of blue-green that rolled off of his skin – his eyes were thin and narrow like a cat. The black-clothed warrior swung his Fusion Sword in a forward position, increasing the aura of strength that surrounded him. Lightning had never seen something like this before and to be honest, it frightened her a little.

"I've had ENOUGH!" Cloud roared.

The spiky-haired warrior maintained a firm hold of his blade and he launched himself to the sky, crushing the stone under his feet during the aftershock. With Cloud coming at alarming speeds, Lightning pooled all the magical energy she had left from Odin and herself to recreate the duo's ultimate technique. Hopefully it would be enough to take down a monster like Cloud. The former SOLDIER swung his Fusion Sword in a spiraling motion, collecting all the Mako energy into his blade, at the same time Lightning intersected her own hook-swords.

"Together!" Lightning commanded Odin. "**Zante**…"

"Too late!" Cloud proclaimed. The black-clothed swordsman rammed his weapon directly between Lightning's swords, preventing her from completing the finishing move. "Now it's over. **Omnislash 6!**"

Before Lightning knew what was happening, Cloud's weapon suddenly unlocked and split into its separate blades as they hovered in the sky around them. The pink-haired Valkyrie was fascinated by Cloud's technique – which she scolded herself for later – that she never noticed him unexpectedly soar away. Cloud reached the first of his swords and glided to his enemy in a blur of light, slashing Odin across the chest with the weapon he collected. He moved on to the sword positioned behind the duo and struck them from the back before being noticed. Cloud was moving too fast for either of them to counter as the process repeated itself four more time, all of them striking Odin in some way. Lightning openly wondered if Cloud was intentionally avoiding her.

At the end of it all, Odin was heavily damaged and Lightning started losing her balance on the Eidolon's saddle. But out of the corner of her eye, the Ex-Guardian Corps soldier located her opponent hovering above them – the First Tsurugi gripped firmly in his hands. The moment she caught sight of him, Cloud dived downwards, prompting Lightning to raise her own blades out of protective instinct. But while she was so focused on Cloud, she never noticed the afterimages he was leaving behind with each individual sword in his wake. It was already too late to defend before the afterimages ambushed Odin from all directions, showing no mercy for the white stallion. The multiple assaults were too much for the Eidolon to handle and the summoning contract with its rider had ended. Of course, this also meant he was taking back his swords, too.

Now left free-falling in midair with no Eidolon, no weapons, and one monster of a swordsman charging at her, the situation seemed almost hopeless for her. But Lightning wasn't the type to die without putting forth her best effort. In her last bid for survival, the armored warrior used the last weapon she had at her disposal: her shield. Just as Cloud brought down the First Tsurugi, Lightning lifted her shield to block its path. The spiky-haired swordsman was able to crack the guard down the middle with minimal effort, but it did manage to save Lightning from further injury. While they were still free-falling, both warriors tried to pull back their respective weapons, but there was a slight problem: they were jammed together.

"Oh shi...!" Cloud and Lightning snapped simultaneously.

All of a sudden, without either of them noticing, Cloud and Lightning smashed headfirst into a roof of Midgar's more structurally sound buildings. And in an ironic twist of fate, the building in question turned out to be Aerith's church. It was by a show of good fortunate that Cloud managed to land in the flowerbed he had recently made around the small pool, just a few feet short of Zack's monument. Groaning painfully, he raised his hand over his eyes and scoped out the recent damage done to his sanctuary.

"That's the third time now..." Cloud muttered tiredly, lowering his hand to the side. "And in the same place, too. I wonder what happened to…"

"Oh, my head."

His eyes wide as dinner plates, Cloud looked down to find Lightning leaning against his chest with a hand to her throbbing skull. The pink-haired Valkyrie was disoriented at first, but she shook her head and managed to regain her bearings. So you could imagine how awkward both felt being so close to one another in such a compromising position. Both of them were nestled close to each other, their clothes torn in some places, and their faces only inches from one another. If anyone were to walk in on this moment, they would probably…

**_Smack!_**

Ok, never mind.

"You filthy pervert!" Lightning snapped angrily, crawling away from the man with her face tinged red.

"Ow! What the hell?" Cloud growled angrily, sporting a red hand print on his left cheek. "What'd you do that for?"

"You were trying to feel me up, you disgusting pig!" Lightning shouted, shaking her fist in anger. "And to think, I was starting to respect you."

"Don't get so full of yourself." Cloud groaned, nursing his wounded cheek. "As I recall, you were the one that landed on me."

Lightning didn't grace him with a response – the whole situation was uncomfortable for a woman of her stature. Maybe Serah would have an easier time with this, but Lightning didn't want to think of that either. But as she was crawling through the miniature garden, she noticed the massive blade stabbed into the small monument above the pool. It looked similar to Cloud's weapon and it was probably just as strong. If Lightning could get her hands on it, she might be able to stand a chance against him. The warrior woman looked back to Cloud, who was still tending to his wound This was her chance, Lightning thought as she subtly inched her hand to the Buster Blade's hilt. Just one good shot and it was over.

But apparently, Cloud was already two steps ahead of her. In the time it took Lightning to touch the Buster Blade, Cloud had removed the First Tsurugi from Lightning's discarded shield and was now standing directly behind her with the blade's edge pressed against her throat. Against a normal person or even PSICOM, Lightning would have been able to escape rather easily. But this man – Cloud Strife – was beyond the normal or even supernatural. He was far above Lightning's league.

"Touch it and you're dead." Cloud said calmly, but put much force behind his words. Whether out of fear or commonsense, Lightning quickly dropped her hand to her side "Now that we're all settled down, maybe we can have a proper discussion. For starters, I don't know how you or Selphie or even that Raijin idiot got here – I'm just confused as the rest of you. But know this…" Lightning looked over her shoulders, staring intently into the man's glowing eyes. "I promise you that I will help you find your way back home and save your sister any way I can."

"How can I trust you?" Lightning questioned.

"When two warriors fight, they bring their feelings to the battlefield." Cloud stated, removing the First Tsurugi from her neckline. "That's something a friend once taught me a long time ago."

"I suppose your right." Lightning sighed in defeat, taking this chance to stand and brush herself off. "But what can you do? Why would you help me?"

"These flowers are beautiful, don't you think?" Cloud asked, baffling the pink-haired warrior. "Just like the person that cared for them. She was always so nice and loved to help people. I guess…in some way…that trait was passed down to me."

"Maybe…" Lightning murmured.

"I don't know how much I can help…" Cloud said, replacing the First Tsurugi in his holster. "But I'll do the best I can."

"Then where do we start?" Lightning asked, turning her attention to the man.

"You can start by telling me about the man who promised to send you home." Cloud stated, turning dangerously serious. "You said he had silver hair and a black coat. Tell me, did he carry any weapons with him? A sword about as long as him?"

"He didn't carry any weapons with him." Lightning shook her head. "All I know is that he had silver hair, wore a black coat, and had dark skin. His whole appearance is untrustworthy, but I think it's his eyes that were the most unsettling – like they can see into your heart."

"That doesn't sound like Sephiroth." Cloud concluded, inwardly feeling relieved. "But whoever it was knew the type of people we are and knew we would fight at all cost to protect the people we cared about. The only question is…who?"

* * *

In the vanishing world of the gods, Jenova was watching the conclusion of the battle between Cloud and Lightning through a viewing portal with disappointing results. The Calamity of the Skies had hoped for a little more bloodshed before they had found out they had been deceived, but this only proves that you don't always get what you want. Looking back on the opposite side of the sanctuary was the Goddess of Harmony herself chained to one of the many broken pillars in the tower, ragged and beaten. Cosmos had become Jenova's favorite toy in recent days, listening to the woman's agonizing screams of pain and mercy – it was simply intoxicating.

Closing the portal with a swipe of her hand, Jenova flapped her singular wing and crossed the sanctuary to the middle of the room. There, settled at the base of the throne, was a large crater that had been recently excavated for their plans. The hollow basin was empty except for the few drops of purple liquid that had dripped in – Jenova visibly frowned at this new development. She had expected two strong warriors like Cloud and Lightning would have been able to squeeze more than just a couple drops. This would not do at all.

From the direction of the throne, Jenova heard a small chuckle and raised her head in response. Instead of the usual occupant being Master Xehanort, the seat was filled by a man decades younger with deep-brown skin, messy silver hair, and piercing-gold eyes. His attire consisted only of a black coat with a silver chain around the neckline, pitch-black gloves, and matching boots. The unknown man was leisurely resting against his arm, smiling in mirth over the scantily–clad woman raising her brow to him.

"You seem disappointed, Jenova." The man said silkily. "I thought the battle would be to your liking."

"Well, I do love to watch Cloud Strife suffer." Jenova stated, planting herself on the opposite arm rest. "Especially after what he did to my baby boy, Sephiroth. But the fight didn't produce nearly enough Discord as we hoped – only two or three drops. At this rate, we'll never be able to replicate Chaos' power."

"Though their minds have forgotten…" The man said monotonously. "Their hearts remember one another vividly. Through their one encounter, they were able to resonate and recall the memories from this world. Something that should have been impossible. This only proves that there is more to the heart that what it seems."

"Again, you go on about the heart." Jenova said in a bored tone. "I swear, I do not understand how you can be obsessed with something so frail."

"The heart is stronger than you give it credit for, Jenova." The man smirked.

"And take that disguise off." Jenova demanded begrudged. "It is better than your usual appearance, but it still irritates me."

"It is always nice to feel young…" The man said, summoning the darkness to cover him. A moment later, the once-powerful leader of Organization XIII was replaced by the elderly Master Xehanort. "But alas, nothing lasts forever.."

"So what do we do about our Discord problem?" Jenova questioned impatiently.

"This first match has given us some insight on what to look for." Master Xehanort proclaimed in a satisfied manner. "It has become clear that setting the Warriors of Cosmos against one another leads to failing results. Perhaps that is the reason Shinryu demands the Gods choose warriors that share mutual hostilities with one another. Cloud and Sephiroth, Squall and Ultimecia, Tidus and Jecht – all warriors who share feelings of contempt and hatred."

"So next, we set a Warrior of Cosmos and a Warrior of Chaos against each other." Jenova concluded.

"Not quite." Master Xehanort chuckled, earning a confused stare from the half-naked woman. "There is still one more experiment I wish to test."

* * *

A world exists parallel to the Planet that shares many similarities, but also shows many differences. The most obvious one would be the lack of industry and the growing abundance of nature and harmony that prospered across the land. As far as the eye could see, green plains that stretched for miles with rainbows of flowers and wild animals roaming freely without fear. Every once and a while, one would see travelers passing by along the dirt road, joyful for the bright new day. It was a picture of happiness…and it was just sickening in one boy's opinion.

Standing out in the middle of nowhere without any direction to follow was a teenaged boy at the age of fifteen with bright-orange hair that was spiked in a unique way and shimmering-blue eyes. He wore a sleeveless shirt with a funnel-shaped collar, and a blue-violet stripe outlined with gold going down the middle. He also wore a sweatband on his left arm, and a pair of white shorts held up by a loose fitting belt, and black shoes with an indigo stripe outlined in gold. His most prized possession seemed to be a pair of headphone he kept constantly closed over his ears.

The strangely clothed boy stared around lazily with his hands in his pocket, clearly having no clue where he was or how he got here. Though this wasn't the strangest thing that's happened to him before. All in all, the most he could come up with was one smart remark about the whole thing.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Shibuya anymore." Neku Sakuraba said sarcastically.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	5. A Musical Performance

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

******Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**  


* * *

**Chapter Four: A Musical Performance**

The sign at the entrance of the town called it Alexandria – Neku almost believed he had been transported to Egypt somehow. If the formerly deceased teen had to put it in words, Alexandria looked like something you would see at renaissance fairs or that video game with the guy in the funny green hat. The buildings were made of old-fashioned bricks with shingled roofs, cobblestone streets that stretched in every direction, various assortments of greenery and open aired shops. But the most noticeable landmark in Alexandria was the four-towered castle looming over the entirety of the city – the largest crystal in the world served a decorative purpose in the center. Between the old-style outlook and that there was a freakin' castle in the middle of the city, it was safe to assume that Neku wasn't in Shibuya anymore. He probably wasn't even in the correct time period.

And if the city wasn't strange enough, the people who lived there were even more unusual. Humans were plentiful in Alexandria, but they appeared to mingle with other creatures that had…unusual characteristics. Having died, battled an unusual assortment of monsters, and come back to life within the span of one month, many would expect Neku to be used to these sort of thing. Obviously, that wasn't the case here. Some of the people wore hats over their pure-black faces and a few of them had unusual disfigurements, but a great majority of them looked like…animals. And he wasn't speaking figuratively – they were actual animals walking on two legs and speaking in human tongue. And despite all this, everyone was looking at him like **_he _**was the weird one.

"Have you seen the garb on that boy?" A rat-faced woman said in a hushed tone.

"Do you think he is foreign?" Another woman with cat ears asked.

"_Out of everything, they had to pick out my clothes – they're worse than Shiki._" Neku thought as he walked by, sighing heavily with a hand to his head. "_Now that I think about it, what the hell happened to me? I was hanging out with Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme in front of Hachiko like always and then I was blindsided by this big flash of light. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in…wherever the hell I am. Does…does this mean…I'm back at the Underground?_"

All of a sudden, a gruff-looking midget walks by and pushes Neku rudely to the side.

"Out o' the way, boy!" The midget grumbled.

"Screw you!" Neku snapped, earning a few glances from the surrounding area. "_Well, that disproves that theory. I guess it should have been clear since this is obviously not Shibuya and the people here are too weird to be from Earth. But still…_" He digs around his pocket, retrieving an assortment of brightly-colored pins. "_Why do I have these psychs with me if I'm not dead? Is Joshua trying to screw with me again?"_

"Ooh, pretty."

Neku blinked for moment, wondering how he didn't notice the little girl standing on her tiptoes to look at the decorative pins in his hand. She barely came up to his waist with her shoulder-length, sapphire-blue hair curving around her heart-shaped face and shimming-teal eyes. She wore a jade-green, yukata-like shirt with cherry blossom printing, a pair of baggy, lime-green pants, a canary-yellow chest plate, bright-yellow flaps on each side of her waist, a pair of dirt-brown boots, and carried a ruby-red satchel at her right hip. But by far her most unusual feature was the petite horn sprouting from her forehead – it looked like it was still growing. **(1)**

The curiously horned child was jumping up and down in hopes of getting a better look at Neku's pins, but the psychic survivor quickly replaced the round badges in his pocket. If the pins had any power in this strange new world, he couldn't very well risk them falling into the hands of a little girl who didn't even look ten years-old. The girl in question pouted at being denied such a prize.

"Hey, what's that, I wanna see!" The horned girl whined, attempting to climb on Neku. "C'mon, show me! Pretty please?"

"No…way!" Neku grunted, finally ripping the girl away from him. "These aren't the kind of things little girls should be playing with – they can be very dangerous."

"I'm not a little girl!" The horned child scowled, which looked rather comical with the puffed out cheeks. "I'm a grown up now – I just turned nine last week!"

"Yeah, you're all grown up." Neku replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he turned away. "Why don't you go play with your dollies or something because I'm busy."

That wasn't an acceptable answer for the strangely horned child. Just as Neku started walking away, the little girl tackled him around the legs and forced him to fall forward into the cobblestone street. The previously deceased teenager was mildly disoriented when his forehead hit the ground, but it wasn't enough to cause any permanent damage. In the meantime, the horned child took this opportunity to grab as many of the pins that fell out of his pockets. She hadn't realized there was such a variety: some had animated characters, a few of them had elemental designs, and one of them was white with four differently colored stars on the surface. This guy had an entire treasure trove of colorful badges.

She looked back at Neku, seeing that he was starting to come to his senses and get back up. The horned child started to run away until she spotted a brief glint of light out of the corner of her eyes. Looking down, she found a deathly-black pin with a skull design reflecting the light from the sun. She wasn't particularly fond of this one, but there was just something about it that made the pin seem so fascinating. She reached out to grab the badge, but another hand suddenly snatched her tiny wrist. A moment later, she was wincing in pain as Neku use his other hand to pull the little girl by the horn, causing her to drop all the pins she had collected.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" The horned-child cried, slapping her hands to her head. Her high-pitched screams were attracting a lot of unwanted attention, but Neku didn't care. "Ow! My horn! Let go! It's very sensitive!"

"You should know better than to steal something that isn't yours, little girl." Neku said lowly, lightly shoving her back to the ground. "Especially from someone like me. You're just lucky that I'm a nice guy now or you'd be in a hell load of trouble."

"You can't talk to me like that!" The girl scowled, caressing her horn tenderly. "I'm Eiko Carol, princess of Lindblum! So you better show some respect!"

"Uh-huh…" Neku replied in disbelief, not even looking at her while retrieving his pins.

"It's true!" Eiko stamped her feet childishly. "My daddy is Cid Fabool IX, the Regent of Lindblum, and that makes me the princess!"

"Ok…'princess'." Neku said as he stood up, using air quotes to stress the word. "If what you say is true, then what are you doing so far away from…wherever it is you are from? I don't think it's normal for princesses to be walking around in public like commoners." He suddenly looked to the sky thoughtfully. "Although, there was that story about that one girl. What was her name...Jacqueline…Janice…J-Z – something with a 'J'. It had something do with a genie, I know it."

"Well…" Eiko answered hesitantly, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Neku remembered times when Shiki would do something similar when she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. "Mommy and daddy don't exactly know I'm gone…but I really wanted to come to Alexandria and they were so busy running the country and everything. So…I kinda…snuck out of my room and stowed away on one of the airships. But I swear I'll go back home when I'm done! I promise!"

"Ok, whatever." Neku shrugged, not particularly interested. "So what exactly were you so desperate to come here for?

"That!" Eiko shouted cheerfully, pointing skyward.

The formerly deceased teenager raised his brow suspiciously, but decided to humor her by look up. If it could, his jaw would have smacked the ground and crack the cobblestone. At least fifty feet in the air above the town was what looked to be an oversized pirate ship with a massive building on the backside gliding over the rooftops of Alexandria. It seemed almost impossible that four propellers at each corner of the ship was the only thing keeping it suspended in the air, but they were apparently working. Based on the direction, the gigantic airship was making a flight directly towards Alexandria's castle – it must have been a special occasion.

All of a sudden, the crowds started stampeding in the same direction, looking excited about something. Neku would have wanted more than anything to walk in the opposite direction – he wasn't ready for large social events just yet – but something clasped around his wrist and started pulling him back. The formerly deceased teenager stumbled to keep his balance as the little horned princess named Eiko pulled him along with the rest of the town.

"Where're you going?" Eiko asked excitedly. "The stage is this way, silly!"

"I don't care." Neku grumbled in response. "I don't like crowded places."

"But it's the best show in the world!" Eiko emphasized possessively, dragging the poor city boy down the road. "C'mon, we've gotta move quickly or all the good seats will be taken. And I don't want my new friend being stuck in the nosebleed aisle."

"Hey, that was way too fast for us to be friends!" Neku exclaimed, trying to pull back his arm with no avail. "I told you, I don't like crowded places, so let me go! Damn, why are you so strong for your age? Hello?"

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

This was the first time Neku had ever been in a castle before. Well, it was the castles courtyard, but it still counted. The enormous aircraft, which turned out to be a traveling performance theater, landed in the enclosure nearly an hour ago. From the look of the bustling crowds outside, everyone in Alexandria had lined up for a chance to see the show. By the time Eiko had dragged him across town, the line had already been backed up for two miles – Neku silently cheered in his head. There was no way they were going to get in. Unfortunately, Eiko was telling the truth when she said she was the princess of another city and used her influence to get them tickets before everyone else.

The brooding city boy was presently in a reserved booth in the castle balcony, sitting in a small wooden chair while Eiko was being catered to by multiple servants in her comfortable, plush chair. As to be expected, there were two guards standing in attention behind them on either side of the door. One of them was a hulking, yet rotund, man decked out in full knights armor and the other was a woman with chestnut-brown hair and a silver eye patch over her right eye. Neku wasn't so sure about the guy in rusty armor, but he was certain that only a fool would dare to challenge the female bodyguard.

The stands in the courtyard were quickly filling up and the show was about to begin at any moment, not that Neku was thrilled to be there. A teenage boy from Shibuya would rather being hanging out with his friends in the park or watching a movie – Eiko and the bodyguards thought he was talking about a spelling cow when he mentioned it. Neku sighed in a bored manner, leaning against the armrest to support his head.

"This show better be good." Neku demanded monotonously. "Otherwise, I'm going to be seriously pissed."

"Hold your tongue, child." The eye-patch woman said sternly, holding her sword close to his shoulder. "You will be civil in the presence of the Regent's daughter."

"Aw, don't worry about her." Eiko giggled playfully; the eye-patch woman removed her sword and moved back into attention. "She acts tough, but she…actually, she's just tough." Neku and the knight sweat-dropped exaggeratedly. "But the show is great! It's a story about a princess falling in love with a peasant, but they can't be together because the princess's father wants her to marry a prince that she doesn't love. It's so romantic."

"Sounds like something Shakespeare would come up with." Neku mumbled into his hand. "I never liked Shakespeare."

"Oh, and the best part is that the role of Marcus is being played by Zidane!" Eiko cheered, throwing out her hands enthusiastically.

"Who's Zidane?" Neku questioned.

"Who is Zidane?" Eiko repeated outrageously, suddenly too close for Neku's comfort. "He's only the most wonderful person to ever live! He's an amazing actor, the world's greatest thief…and it doesn't hurt that he's kinda cute."

"I admit that I despised that filthy little thief from the start." The armored man grunted. "But he has proven himself a worthy soldier in my books."

"Ok, now I'm interested." Neku said.

"Shush, it's starting!" Eiko hissed.

As the light of the stage began to brighten – which seemed rather pointless since it was broad daylight – the audience quickly hushed in anticipated silence. There was a dramatic pause that followed before the red satin curtains parted to opposite sides, revealing the stage for today's performance. A miniature castle with some creative details covered most of the platform with two wide staircases on both sides and dusk-like backdrop. It wasn't much in Neku's opinion, but he had to give credit since these people didn't have anything past the nineteenth century. Standing under the spotlight of the performance stage was a stocky man with a lavender beard – Neku isn't surprised by anything at this point – wearing a very festive red coat. From the first moment he took the stage, the audience was cheering like a rock star had come to perform – or 777 was having another hissy fit.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The stocky man boomed jubilantly. "We perform today to celebrate the conclusion of our magnificent world tour and to commemorate the return of Alexandria's beautiful Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII, who plays the role of Princess Cornelia!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait…" Neku said in confusion over the roaring crowd. "The **_queen _**of all people is performing. How the hell did that happen?"

"It's a long and…exhausting story." The armored knight sighed dramatically. "But to put it simply, the queen is…infatuated with Zidane. She sees him as her knight in shining armor and wholly l-l-loves him – I think I just threw up a little in my mouth."

"The queen falling in love with the thief." Neku summarized in a bored tone, leaning further into his armrest. "Sounds like that one movie with the blue guy that grants wishes. What was the name of it again? Albert…Alfred…Allah…?

"Shush!" Eiko snapped, causing the teenager to flinch slightly.

"Tonight's story begins when Marcus and Cornelia decide to run away together!" The ringleader continued uninterrupted. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Tantalus Theater Troupe proudly presents 'I Want to Be Your Canary'!"

The ringleader of the troupe bowed under the thunderous applause before disappearing stage right. A soft serenade started playing in the background once the crowd had finally settled; a whimsical tone that made Neku think of fairy tales. Under the soft chiming of the music, the first actor took the stage in the battlements of the false castle background. Based on the hushed murmurs passed around the audience and the knightly bodyguard eying her like a hawk, Neku would have had to guess that she was Queen Garnet til Alexandros XVII.

Neku wasn't the type to base a person on looks – especially after meeting a girl like Shiki – but even he could admit that she was stunning. The queen of Alexandria was probably only a few years older than him with lengthy, dark-brown hair tied into a ponytail and chocolate-brown eyes. Her clothing consisted of a sleeveless yellow top with a soft flower pattern on the left side, a pair of canary yellow pants suspended by two red belts, white arm warmers with silver pauldrons, a silver chocker, and a pair of crimson-red boots. But the thing that draw Neku's attention was the bone-white horn protruding from her forehead. **(1)**

"Uh…anyone else see the giant horn sticking out of her skull?" Neku asked strangely, looking between Eiko and the bodyguards. "Or is it just me?"

"Garnet's a Summoner just like me." Eiko answered cheerfully.

"Queen Garnet is part of an ancient race called Summoners." The eye-patch woman explained collectively. "The Summoners were well-known for their horned appearances and the power to control the Eidolons. For this reason an evil man named Garland tried to wipe out the entire race. The only two survivors were Queen Garnet and Princess Eiko. After the last king found Garnet washed ashore, he took her in and surgically removed her horn to keep her safe from danger." She glance her singular eye at the horn emerging from the lovely queen's skull. "I had believed that she was incapable of growing her horn back after the surgery. The queen must have found someone to repair it during her travels."

He didn't ask for a history lesson – Neku resumed his usual place as he refocused his attention back on the stage, trying his hardest to not to fall asleep. The formerly deceased teenager was a huge admirer of many arts from graffiti to sculptures, but theater didn't fall under that category. Meanwhile, Queen Garnet had reached the center of the ramparts with her hands clasped in a sort of prayer, putting on a very good performance in his opinion.

"Marcus?" Garnet called in a pleading tone. "Where are thou, Marcus?"

"I am here, dear Cornelia."

The next performer appeared from the far right of the stage, earning a wave of cheers from the audience. The newcomer was equally the same age as the queen with golden-blond hair that framed his face tied into a short ponytail and ocean-blue eyes. He wore a dark cloak with light-brown patterns and a large hood that was pulled back. Beneath the cloak, he wore royal-purple pants with multiple intersecting black belts, a pair of white boots with leather straps, and a large leather pouch strapped to his left thigh. And again, Neku was drawn by the unnatural feature the actor possessed, which in this case was the golden monkey tail that was sticking out of the back of his pants. **(2)**

Whoever he was, he was apparently very popular with the women – they were practically screaming themselves hoarse.

"Yay, Zidane!" Eiko cheered, jumping up and down in her seat.

"_Zidane is a monkey, huh?" _Neku thought comically. "_Sure, why not? It makes about as much sense as everything else around here._"

Catching sight of her beloved, Queen Garnet raced to the side of the false castle and hurried down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. The two quickly closed the distance between each other and embraced in a way that appeared to be more than just a simple act. Neku supposed that if anyone was going to play the role of two lovers, it would be people who are actual lovers – plus he found the throbbing vein on the knight's neck to be most humorous.

"Sweet Marcus…" Garnet spoke dramatically. "I fear I love thee more than I should!"

"Princess…" Zidane said softly, gently pushing apart. "Wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?"

"Prithee, call me 'princess' no more!" Garnet demanded with feeling. "Marcus, wilt thou truly cherish me, the King's only daughter? Or is such a desire too dear to wish for? After our nuptials, shall I become nothing more than a puppet? A mindless puppet, never to laugh, never to cry?" She turns away for dramatic effect, pressing her hand over her eyes as if she were crying. "I wish to live my life under the sky. At times I shall laugh, at other times cry. For no life is more insecure than that lived as a masquerade."

"So much consideration thou hast given it!" Zidane exclaimed dutifully. He took the queen by her shoulder and forced her around to face him. "But worry not! Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love!" He pulled Alexandria's queen gently into his arms once more. "Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom."

"How romantic." Eiko sighed dreamily, leaning her arms against the balcony rail.

"_This is more boring than when Shiki and Eri drag me to go shopping."_ Neku though with a tired sigh. "_There better be some action soon or I'm outta here._"

"Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow." Zidane said, pulling away from his beloved. "Before dawn can tell of our elopement."

"All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay." Garnet spoke heartfelt. "And I shall follow thee throughout the world."

"No Cloud, no Squall can hinder us." Zidane replied; two men in alternate dimensions sneezed simultaneously. "I must be off."

And with that, Zidane walked right off the stage, leaving Garnet alone as the center of attention.

"O, love is the sweetest joy and the wildest woe." Garnet stated poetically. "All I wish is to be by my sweet Marcus's side." There was a pregnant pause on stage, one which didn't look to be planned. The horned queen fidgeted nervously under the spotlight, so she spoke a little louder. "I said, all I wish is to be by my sweet Marcus's side!"

"Is this part of the show?" Neku questioned confused.

"Maybe it's a revision." Eiko shrugged.

"I said…!" Garnet shouted, sounding very annoyed. "All I wish is to be by my sweet Marcus's side!"

Finally, another actor walked on stage from the left side. The guy looked something seen out of a Frankenstein movie with his fiery-red hair and stitching running up and down various parts of his body. He wore an unusual assortment of steel-grey boots with a matching vest, a pair of fluffy, pink wrist bands over his red gloves, a belt strapped across the right side of his chest, and a large visor that looked more like a giant steel ring. The mismatch actor had apparently forgotten his cue based on the signals Garnet was giving him to go back, but the unnaturally stitched troupe member wasn't paying attention. He continued to march forward to the center stage, where Garnet was doing her best to save the show.

"Er…good day, Sir Blank." Garnet chuckled anxiously. "Was there something thee wish to speak of?" The man called Blank stopped a few feet short of the queen, leering at her like a statue. "Uh…Sir Blank."

Without a word of warning, the stitched-up actor removed the sword strapped to his hip and attempted to stab at Alexandria's horned queen. Garnet was barely able to sidestep the attempt in time, barely getting away with a single tear in her shirt.

"Blank, what are you doing?" Garnet exclaimed.

The stitched actor refused to answer and started swinging his blade in various directions, making an impressive attempt to cut the queen in half. Garnet was doing her best to tiptoe around the dancing sword, but she was never the fittest nor was she the most athletic of their traveling group – she would be caught sooner or later. It actually ended up being sooner as the horned queen tripped on a loose floorboard on stage, causing her to fall backwards on her hindquarters. With Garnet cornered on the floor, Blank stood overhead of the queen and stabbed downwards for a fatal shot.

Neku had seen enough television to know that this was where the hero came in to save the day and sure enough, Zidane jumped on stage with his own weapon to deflect the blow. The monkey tailed hero's weapons – named Ozma's Splinter – were a pair of interestingly curved swords with a golden pattern running down the surface and the blade itself was painted in an array of colors. Zidane was wielding his twin swords backwards in his hands and intersected them to effectively cut off Blank's weapon. With a heavy grunt, the monkey-tailed actor pushed against his swords and shoved his friend back by a few feet.

"Blank, what are you doing?" Zidane hissed. "That wasn't what we rehearsed. You were supposed to show up and **_pretend _**to knock Garnet out, not try to kill her."

"And what the idea of using a real sword in the middle of a performance!" Garnet shouted softly. "You could have really hurt someone."

"Must kill…" Blank muttered in a zombie-like tone.

"Blank, bro?" Zidane asked worried. "You ok?"

"Must…kill…" Blank grumbled "Must…kill…everyone!"

Zidane quickly raised one of his twin swords in defense as Blank brought his weapon down, quickly pushing Garnet back with a swing of his tail. If there was a chance Blank had finally gone off the deep end, he didn't want to put Alexandria's queen at risk – Steiner would be on his ass in the blink of an eye. Metal grinding against metal, created a brief shower of sparks that caused Zidane to cringe as they were close to his eyes. Blank – his eyes covered by a wide visor – used this advantage to clasp his free hand over Zidane's wrist and twist it back, forcing him to release one of Ozma's Splinters on to the floor with an audible thud.

Since Blank was the strongest of the two of them, it came as no surprise when the monkey-tailed hero started losing feeling in his right hand. At the same time, the stitched-up actor pulled back and stabbed with his sword, only to be deflected again by Zidane's second blade. Blank, however, was persistent and continuously stabbed his sword over and over; Zidane mounting his best defense to keep the blade from reaching him. It appeared that both warriors were locked in a stalemate with both of their hands occupied, but Blank forgot to take into account of Zidane's fully functioning tail. The proud thief snapped his extra limb to curl around the handle of his fallen weapon and slam the base of the blade against Blank's wrist.

The stitched actor grunted in a brief spasm of pain, unconsciously releasing Zidane's wrist. The thieving actor quickly kicked Blank in the chest, using the force to flip backwards to the opposite end of the stage, transferring Ozma's Splinter from his tail to his hand in mid-flip. Blank quickly recovered himself from the unexpected kick before he turned his attention back to Zidane, he was taunting the visor-wearing actor by patting his hindquarters at him. The mismatched soldier's expression twisted to undeniable annoyance, swinging his sword as he charged back across the stage. The monkey-tailed hero prepared himself by connecting both ends of his swords together, forming a unique dual-bladed weapon – Eiko called them Thief Swords. As the two friends continued to clash on stage, no one any wiser to the fact that this was not an act.

"Are they supposed to be fighting this early?" One man asked confused.

"Maybe they're doing an extra bit?" His friend shrugged.

"Hmm…something seems off." The eye-patch woman hummed thoughtfully.

"Whatcha mean?" Neku asked curiously. "This show is finally getting interesting."

"It does seem a bit…stimulating." The eye-patch woman said, choosing her words carefully. "But the air around that man, Blank, feels a bit…heavy. The way he moves and acts, it's almost as if he's possessed by something we can't see."

"Possessed." Neku repeated slowly. Feeling slightly paranoid, the formerly deceased teenager reached into his pocket and retrieved the skull pin. "If these pin still work, does that mean…"

The spiky-haired loner lost himself in thought for a while, ignoring the clanging metal and cheers of everyone watching. It had been nearly a year since he left the Underground – there was no way these things could still work, right? There was only one way to find out. Acting rather hesitant, Neku pinned the badge on the front of his shirt before moving his hands to his headphones, closing his eyes to focus his concentration.

"_Open…your senses…_" Neku thought.

For the first few moments, there was nothing but complete silence – Neku was almost ready to believe he was safe. And then he heard it: the collective thoughts of everyone in the castle courtyards. The Player Pin now pressed against his chest had the power to scan the minds of everyone in the vicinity and to detect any potential threats. If the pins were working, that meant there was definitely a threat around. His mind wandered over the thoughts of everyone he could reach from Steiner's overprotective mind to the eye-patch woman's military nature to Eiko's childish imagination; there was no danger in the crowd.

Neku pushed the lengths of his psych towards the stage and scanned their thoughts. Garnet was worried about her friend's safety and Zidane was keeping himself busy by trying to stay one step ahead of his mismatched opponent. But Blank was a different story. Just as his name implied, his thoughts were a complete blank – almost as if he was being pulled like a puppet. But as Neku's scan circulated over the visor-wearing actor, the formerly deceased teenager found something that didn't belong there. A shadowy creature that was shaped like an animal, but carried demonic features…almost like a…

"Noise!" Neku exclaimed unexpectedly, causing the others to jump. "What're Noise doing here?"

"Noise?" Eiko blinked, cupping a hand around her ear. "What Noise? I don't hear anything."

"Are you sure you're all right, Master Neku?" Steiner asked worriedly. "Perhaps you require refreshment?"

"_That's right, I'm the only one that can see them._" Neku thought begrudged, leaning against the balcony railing. "_I don't like playing the hero…but I don't really have a choice. You owe me one, Beat._"

"M-master Neku!" Steiner shouted worriedly as the teen jumped over the railing. "Where are you going? That's dangerous!"

It was a pretty lengthy drop from twenty feet in the air, but Neku's time in the Underground had not only improvement his mental attributes, but also his physical ones. The headphone-wearing teenager landed softly on his feet, causing a majority of the crowd to scattered upon his sudden appearance. He took advantage of the crowd's confusion and charged his way up to the center stage, digging his hand around his pockets for more pins. If the Player Pin still worked, he didn't see any reason why the others wouldn't.

Zidane and Blank were still in mid-clash by the time Neku reached the bottom stand. The spiky-haired player skipped off the seat, surprisingly reaching ten feet in altitude as he slapped a purple pin with a curved wind on his shirt. His hand glowed in an ominous green light the moment the badge was set in place, pulling it back as he made his descent on to the stage.

"**Shockwave!**"Neku shouted.

The formerly deceased teenager landed in the middle of the wooden platform and slammed his glowing fist into the floorboard, creating a powerful shockwave that sent Zidane and Blank flying in opposite directions. Garnet was quick to help Zidane back up while Blank stumbled drunkenly to his feet – Neku could see the Noise wavering around him. Once collecting his bearings, the Noise-controlled actor hefted his sword up and made an attempted charge for the headphone-wearing teen. By which time, Neku had already slapped a white glove pin on his shirt and covered his hand in the same ominous-green glow.

"**Psychokinesis.**" Neku called calmly.

The next moment, Blank was halted in mid-step with his head ringing like a bell – almost as if he had been beaten by an invisible hammer. From the vision the Player Pin provided him, Neku could see the Noise steadily declining until it vanished entirely. With the unseen parasite no longer controlling him, Blank finally regained his senses and realized he was on stage holding his trusty sword in the middle of a crowded courtyard.

"Uh…are we on?" Blank asked confused, scratching his head with the blunt edge of his sword. "Has anyone given my cue yet?"

"Blank, you nearly killed us." Garnet proclaimed. "How can you be worried about your cue?"

"What?" Blank shouted shockingly. "That can't be right! I'd never hurt you guys."

"It wasn't his fault." Neku proclaimed monotonously. "He was being influenced by the Noise."

"Ok, three questions." Zidane grunted. The monkey-tailed actor stabbed his thief sword into the floorboard in front of Neku and used the hilt as a perch. "One, who the hell are you? Two, what are you talking about? And three, where'd you get those cool things on your head?"

"_Take that, Shiki!_" Neku boasted silently in his head. "To answer your questions, my name is Neku Sakuraba – I used to be dead."

"Well, you're pretty good-looking for a corpse." Garnet commented, earning a worried groan from her boyfriend.

"It's actually a lot more complicated than it sounds." Neku explained, replacing the pins back in his pocket. "To make a long story short, your friend was being controlled by an invisible demon called a Noise. The Noise are lost souls that exist between the living and the dead. They have the power to influence people in the living world to act on negative feelings such as trying to kill you." The three actors stared at him strangely. "I know it sounds crazy…"

"Actually, it's not." Zidane commented with his hands behind his head. "Trust me, we've seen stranger things. If you say a bunch of invisible demons were controlling my friends, then I believe you."

"Though there is one thing that bothers me." Neku hummed thoughtfully. "Small Noise like the one we fought usually travel in packs. If that was just one, what happened to the others?"

He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. Not even a moment after he finished, the rest of the Tantalus Theater Troupe marched in an orderly fashion on to the stage, each of them carry polished weapons from swords to spears - all of which were pointed at the four standing in the center of the platform. The monkey-tailed warrior looked confused at why his troupe was acting out of order until he quickly flipped backwards to avoid one of the silver knives thrown at him. Though his knew friends were clueless, Neku's Player sight granted him the power to see the swarm of Noise controlling the acting group like puppets on strings. Neku, Zidane, Garnet, and Blank all stood back-to-back as the Troupe slowly formed a close circle around them.

"Hehe, found them." Zidane laughed nervously.

* * *

**(1) **Based on the early concept art of the respective characters.**  
(2) **Combination of Marcus's Cloak and Navy Gilet from Dissidia.

* * *

**Please, Read and review**


	6. Bring the Noise

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

******Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**  


* * *

**Chapter Five: Bring the Noise**

Who would have thought that a trip to the theater would be so dangerous – then again, it never worked out for American Presidents.

After the Reaper Game and returning to life, Neku would have expected that his life would return to normal, albeit a little better than before. You could understand why being thrown into a fairy tale world filled with humanoid animals and attacked by a troupe of theater performers wouldn't fit his definition of normal. Neku stood back-to-back with the monkey-tailed Zidane Tribal, the newly-horned Princess Garnet, and the Frankenstein-monster Blank flanking them from the sides as the Tantalus Theater Troupe slowed formed a closed circle around them. Each cast member carried a weapon that ranged from a small knife to a long spear, which seemed rather odd for a group of traveling performers.

Though an outsider could see this as an act of betrayal against Zidane and his leading lady, it was Neku who saw through the curtain of deceit – Neku scowl at the poor choice of wording. The skull-faced badge on his shirt allowed the orange-haired teenager to see that the troupe was being possessed by aggressive spirits called Noise, which he had then displeasure of facing before. The type now latched to each actor's head was a Frog Noise called Dixiefrog – generally one of the weakest types of Noise and always traveled in groups.

Neku and his temporary comrades cramped closer together as the Tantalus Troupe moved in closer, limiting their movements. Now you would think that having group of fifteen actors carrying razor-sharp, flesh cutting weapons crowd around three teenagers and a Frankenstein-like character would be a signal that something was wrong. But instead…

"Is this part of the show?" A mole-man asked curiously.

"Maybe this is an extra bit they added." A man with deer antlers shrugged.

"Who's the guy with the things on his head?" A mouse girl asked, grimacing slightly in Neku's direction. "He looks like a freak."

"_She's sitting next to a guy with three fingers and a clown nose and she thinks I'm the freak?" _Neku sweat dropped. "_There is something seriously wrong with this place and I don't mean the sideshow._"

"Your majesty! Young Warrior!" The quartet raised their heads, looking through the gaps in the enemy circle to the audience. The one-eyed woman – Beatrix, if Neku remembered correctly – was pushing and shoving everyone out of her path; Steiner was apologizing profusely in her wake. "Do not worry! We shall assist you!"

"Beatrix! Steiner!" Garnet shouted happily. "Thank goodness you are here!"

"C'mon, Rusty!" Zidane smirked confidently, gripping Ozma's Splitters forward. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!"

The crowd immediately split down the middle, allowing Beatrix and Steiner a clear path to the performance stage. But before they could reach the stage, the two knights of Alexandria were suddenly pelted backwards – the ringingclang of armor filled the air. While the rusty knight struggled to get to his feet, Beatrix immediately jumped up and held her hands ahead. Her gauntlet met with resistance in the form of a red-plated barrier, which only appeared when she came into contact with it. With a loathsome scowl, the one-eyed knight pounded her fists against the barrier and even tried breaking it down with her shoulder, but no damage was done. She swiftly whipped out her sword, nearly beheading Steiner and a few member of the audience. But even with her strongest blow, the barrier was left with not even the smallest scratch.

"What matter of sorcery is this?" Beatrix exclaimed furiously.

"Uh…guys, what's the hold up?" Zidane shouted; the Troupe pressed even closer. "It's getting kinda crowded around here."

"There appears to be some manner of invisible wall blocking our path!" Beatrix snapped, slamming her steel-covered knuckles into the barrier. A ripple pattern formed in the wake of the punch, but no visible damage was done. "We cannot break through!"

"No! Your Highness!" Steiner cried dramatically. The one-eyed woman stepped out of the way as her companion pointlessly charged into the barrier. "I cannot let anything happen to her highness! Zidane, I swear, if anything happens to Garnet…"

"Love ya, too, Rusty." Zidane replied sarcastically.

"What's going on here?" Neku questioned suspiciously. "Why is the Noise even here in the first place? And what's with the wall? It's like we're in a…a…"

"A Reapers' Game." The orange-haired jumped at the sound of the tone, which was oddly familiar to him. Looking over the shoulder of the Troupe leader, Neku could see the familiar red hoodie, black baseball cap, and skeletal black wings. "How ya doing, Neku Sakuraba? What's it been? A year now since you returned from the Underground? You really haven't changed that much."

"You…" Neku murmured, clenching his fists defensively. "I remember you. You're one of those Support Reapers."

"Support what?" Zidane commented, looking back in a confused manner. "Hey, orange-y locks, you feeling all right? I don't think the old man is in the mood for talking."

"You still have the Player Pin, correct?" The Reaper stated, leaning casually against the set. "That means you're the only one that can see me or the Noise. That's good. You're going to need that if you want to survive the Reapers' Game."

"A Reapers' Game? Here?" Neku exclaimed, painfully aware of how foolish he looking to other for yelling at the air. "But none of these people are dead? And even if I died again, I can't participate in the Reapers' Game again – I've already used my second chance! You are violating your own rules! If Joshua ever found out…"

"The rules have changed." The Reaper claimed casually, effectively silencing the Player. "All Players – living or dead – must participate in the Reapers' Game or face Erasure. As is decreed by the Composer himself."

"_That…That can't be right._" Neku thought worried; his fists were tight enough to cut of the circulation to his fingers. "_I knew Joshua was kind of a jackass, but he was still my friend. Did something happen to him…or was he replaced? Damn it, what's going on here?"_

"The Reapers' Game will now commence." The Reaper proclaimed, snapping Neku from his thoughts. "In accordance to the rules set down by the Game Master, the five Players present will have thirty minutes to eliminate the noise in the area. Fail and face Erasure."

"Five?" Neku blinked quizzically. He did a quick count of himself, Garnet, Zidane, and Blank. "Um… there are only four of us." The veteran Player suddenly became aware of the extra weight on his back that he hadn't noticed before. The orange-haired teen tentatively looked over his shoulder, his eyes nearly bulging out at the sight of the evil monster clinging to his back. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hiya." Eiko waved cheerfully, releasing her grip on Neku's shirt.

"Eiko!" Garnet shouted surprisingly.

"When did you get here, shrimp?" Zidane questioned.

"Mr. Pouty looked upset!" Eiko explained with child-like enthusiasm. "He looked like he was going to jump, so I climbed on his back because it looked fun! I really liked it when he jumped on stage and when his hands were glowing – it was cool!"

"Did she just call me Mr. Pouty?" Neku asked blandly.

"Eiko, you can't stay here." Garnet said in a concerned tone, pushing the horned child behind her. "Zidane, we can't let Eiko stay here – she'll get hurt. We need to find a way out."

"Too late." The Reaper stated, though only Neku could hear him. "The Reaper Games' starts now."

The orange-haired Player knew what was coming next and gritted his teeth the moment the Reaper snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, Neku felt a familiar stabbing pain in his right palm where he knew the blaring-red countdown had appeared. However, he briefly forgot that there were other Players competing until he heard them hiss in shock and momentary discomfort. Zidane accidentally dropped the sword in his right hand, Eiko and Garnet dropped to their knees holding their hands, and Blank just winced. And on each of their right palms, an ominous neon-red timer appeared starting from thirty minutes and slowly counted backwards.

"And now I've got a clock on my hand." Zidane said like it was a normal occurrence. "Well, with all this Noise business and a dead guy walking around, that makes as much sense as everything else going on around here."

"What's happening?" Garnet asked, sounding close to the verge of a breakdown. "Why us?"

"Everybody just shut up!" Neku snapped in annoyance; these guys whine too much. "Listen, you all need to calm down. We're in a Reapers' Game…"

"Game?" Eiko perked up excitedly. "I love games!"

"Well, I don't think you'll like this one." Neku said lowly, digging a hand into his pocket. "The Reaper in charge of this mission assigned us to break the Noise's control over your friends. The clock on your hands is the amount of time we have to complete the mission. If we can't beat them or we run out of time…well, we pretty much die on the spot."

"And you feel the need to tell us this **_now?_**" Blank screamed in Neku's face.

"One, take a breath mint." Neku groaned, pushing the Frankenstein character away. "Two, the Noise controlling your buddies are Dixiefrogs – the weakest of the weak if that makes any sense. It should be easy enough to take them out with just one hit."

"But we can't see these…frog…spirit…things." Garnet pointed out.

"Just aim around the head." Neku advised, retrieving a handful of pins from his pocket. "If you miss, just keep trying until you knock them to their senses or knock them out in general."

"Way ahead of ya!"

Apparently, Zidane had already started beating down on his colleagues in the middle of Neku's instructions – he didn't seem as hesitant to attack his friends anymore. He had already incapacitated three of the Troupe and his tail secretly taking the opportunity to cop a feel from the unconscious woman on the floor. Unfortunately, the Genome's girlfriend caught him and proceeded to beat him over the head with her weapon of choice: a silver rod with an amethyst gemstone. While the horned queen scolded her perverted lover, Neku took notice that Zidane had only erased one of the Dixiefrogs and the other two were rendered unconscious.

The formerly deceased Player slapped a Pin to the front of his shirt, forming an emerald-green aura around his hands. He targeted the remaining Dixiefrogs, blasting them away with his Force Rounds before they could move on to the next target. Removing the Force Round Pin from his shirt, looking down at the timer in his right palm as the mysterious glow faded. They had already defeated three Noise and they still had twenty-six minutes and thirteen seconds remaining – they were making excellent progress.

But while the orange-haired teen was distracted by the countdown, two cast members of the Tantalus Troupe stealthily snuck up behind him with their weapons raised. That was an impressive feat itself since they were twice Neku's size and most likely had the weight of an elephant. Eiko was the only one to notice and immediately came to the rescue with her weapon, which turned out to be a crimson flute with a decorative wing at the end. Placing the instrument to her lips, the little Summoner played a soft melody that carried throughout the theaters, enchanting everyone with its lovely tune.

While everyone – from Players to Noise – were raptured by the song, a glimmering ball of white light formed around the flute's decorative wing. After a few second of lovely music, the light sphere propelled itself in Neku's direction, segmenting itself into two parts before actually hitting the teenager. The white balls of light glided over his shoulders and exploded in the faces of the Troupe members, equally knocking them unconscious and erasing the Noise controlling them. The pair of thunderous thumps behind him alerted Neku of his near miss, suddenly feeling a new-found appreciation for the horned child.

"Nice one." Neku complimented. "What was that anyway?"

"It's the Angel Flute." Eiko answered cheerfully, waving the instrument. "I can use it to summon Holy whenever I want. It's really neat."

"Yeah, it is." Neku nodded. "I gotta get me one of those."

"Hey, ladies, if you're done skirt shopping." Blank growled as he slashed the air above another Troupe member, eliminating the Noise. "Maybe you would consider lending a hand around here?"

Neku grimaced at the comment and grudgingly started digging around his pockets for more Pins while expertly dodging the stabbing spears from the Troupe. The orange-haired Player pulled off a spectacular backflip when the cast members swiped at his feet, withdrawing a Pin and slapping it on his shirt while in midair. Landing firmly on his feet, he threw out his hands and a crystal-like mist escaped his palms and glided over two members of the Troupe, leaving them frozen in place. Blinking in momentary confusion, Neku looked down at his shirt and realized he had unknowingly used a Freeze Psych – he really needed to pay more attention to what he was doing. But on the bright side, he managed to eliminate another quarter of the Noise and there was still fifteen minutes left.

And as the "fight" went on, Neku and his new friends (and Eiko) steadily defeated the Noise-controlled Troupe. Neku's mastery of Pins combined with Zidane's sword skills and the support they received from Garnet and Eiko's magic made the Game easier to deal with. Blank was helpful as well, but he wasn't important. By the time the countdown reached its thirteen minute mark, all the Noise with except one had been eliminated and their hosts rendered unconscious. The last one was controlling the ringleader of the Troupe, who happened to be playing the main antagonist of the play. The whole situation, which should been viewed as a crisis, earned a bustling wave of cheers from the audience.

"Yay, Marcus!" A bunny-eared woman cheered. "Beat that evil King Leo!"

"That guy in purple is amazing." A lion-man stated impressively. "A good addition to a classic tale. Even if he dresses strangely."

"I think he's kinda cute." His daughter commented.

"Are they really that oblivious?" Neku sweat-dropped. "Don't they realize that we're fighting for our lives here?"

"Well, they are theater folk." Garnet stated; Neku thought about this and thought she made an excellent point. "Besides, it's better that they don't know or we might send everyone in a panic. For now, we'll just have to go with it."

"Leave that to me." Zidane said confidently, puffing out his chest to act masculine. The monkey-tailed thespian took two steps forward, pointing one of his blades at the actor playing the villain. "King Leo, thou art not only a merciless ruler, but a cruel father as well. My love for Cornelia is brighter than the light of a million suns. I now challenge thee, your majesty, for freedom of thy daughter and my love."

"Go, Marcus!" Several woman squealed.

"Huh?" The ringleader tilted his head confused.

"Zid…I mean, Marcus!" Neku called, deciding to play along with this ridiculous play. "The uh…evil within thy king has moved. His corrupted spirit is located on his back. Slay thy evil and free thy soul."

"You are a really terrible actor." Zidane commented under his breath.

"Shut up!" Neku hissed in an undertone. "The Noise has moved from his head to his back. Take it out and your friend will be free."

"No problem." Zidane looked back and smirked.

Really bad timing on his part. The instant Zidane looked away from his opponent; the man playing King Leo trotted across the stage and slashed him across the chest with his cutlass – The audience gasped and Neku facepalmed. It was only by good fortune or dumb luck that the ringleader mistakenly attacked with the blunt side of the sword, saving Zidane from any injury. The golden-haired Genome tumbled backwards from the impact, unintentionally dropping his twin swords in the process. Zidane groaned as he sat up, wincing slightly from the discomfort in his chest. Maybe now he would understand that this guy wasn't playing around anymore. King Leo, as the audience knew him, charged once again for another opportunity with a howling battle cry.

As the possessed ringleader swiped his sword downwards, Zidane pressed his palms into the hardwood floor and raised himself up by his hands; his golden tail barely missed the blade by literally hair. With the opportunity presenting itself, Zidane flicked his tail to knock the sword out of the actor's hand, sending it spiraling into the air. The Genome pushed against the floor, demonstrating his athletic ability as he vaulted into the air while backflipping twice, catching the flying sword once he righted himself. Looking down at the man he respected his whole life; Zidane steeled himself with an uncharacteristic scowl and shot the cutlass back at its previous owner.

Though the sword appeared to be aimed for the ringleader, the Genome's impeccable aim allowed the cutlass to glide over the man's shoulder and barely scrap his back. The sword safely stabbed into the hardwood floor without harming the ringleader, but Neku's enhanced vision allowed him to confirm the erasure of the Dixiefrog. Zidane landed safely to his feet the exact moment the villain of the story fell forward, appearing defeated. The audience clapped in celebration of the antagonist's defeat, which Zidane accepted with a lofty grin. But while Zidane basked in the limelight, Neku glared at the hooded Reaper, who was still leaning casually against the props.

"Mission: complete." The Reaper announced, steadily fading from existence. "You may pass."

"Glad that's over." Neku murmured to himself. "What was all that about, anyway?"

"The king has fallen – pieced by his own sword!" Zidane shouted dramatically; Neku had completely forgotten that they were still on stage. He held out his hand to Alexandria's queen, who quickly picked up the hint and raced across the stage to join him. "And now, my dearest Cornelia, thou art free to choose thy own path. Thou can choose to be with me…forever."

"Sweet Marcus." Garnet said lovingly. "Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my days with thee." With a heavy sigh, she released her hands and turned away from him. "But I fear I cannot." The audience gasped in shocked; Steiner being one of them. "Now that my father has passed, this country will need someone to guide them. I fear that I must remain here forevermore; we cannot be together any longer."

"No!" The women and Steiner cried.

"My darling Cornelia." Zidane said softly, forcing her to face him. "My heart weeps in sorrow of your choice, but tis also filled with understanding. Thou art gentle, beautiful, and selfless – many reasons I love thee. I must depart by morrow's dawn, but I will leave knowing that thou art free from the shackles of thy father's reign. And every day, I shall stare upon into the starry night, praying for the day we can finally be together again."

"I shall wait an eternity, my love." Garnet smiled gently.

And as expected, the two lovers closed the performance with a chaste kiss, earning a standing ovation from the audience. Neku admitted that he even though he is not a fan of the theater; those two knew how to put on an excellent performance. Zidane and Garnet pulled apart, smiling a wave to the audience as Blank and Eiko joined them up front. Neku tried to slip away to the side – a literal exit stage right – but was consequently pulled back by Zidane and Eiko, forcing him to face his screaming fans. The actors of this debacle of a play clasped hands together and bowed under the roaring praise; Neku reluctantly went with them.

"Bravo! Best rendition ever!" A rat woman screamed.

"The Tantalus Brothers never fail to impress!" A bulky man with a pig snout agreed.

"That was a spectacular performance, wasn't it?" Steiner laughed, clapping along with the crowd. "And you were worried over nothing."

"Seriously?" Beatrix stared at him in disbelief. "My mother was right; I should have married the carpenter."

Steiner stammered fearfully as the one-eyed knight walked away, stumbling through the crowded courtyard after her. Back on stage, Neku remained rooted in the spotlight as the cheers were growing louder by the second, which amazingly didn't wake the unconscious actors that were previously possessed. As the orange-haired Player looked though the crowd, he felt the corners of his mouth slightly tilting upwards. Neku wasn't a fan of crowds, but it didn't mind having a fan base.

* * *

After an exciting – and unknowingly lethal – day, the quiet night of Alexandria was most welcome to Neku Sakuraba. The Pin-wearing warrior wandered aimlessly through the empty streets of town, happy that he could finally have a moment of peace. After the Troupe had regained consciousness and Zidane filled in the blanks of their memories, the Tantalus Brother celebrated their success in Alexandria Castle – courtesy of the queen herself. Neku and Eiko were invited, but the orange-haired Player politely declined. As stated before, he wasn't a fan of large crowds.

He hummed to himself to the beat of an unknown song Shiki introduced to him the other day, deciding to take a stroll down the back alleys of the city. He was more adjusted to close spaces like this – it was where he usually found the work of his idol, Sanae Hanekome, or more commonly known as CAT. Though in all honesty, he shouldn't have expected any graffiti drawings in a medieval world like Gaia, much less a brilliant master piece from the Producer of the Reapers' Game.

That was another thing that concerned him: The Reapers' Game. He hadn't died – unless his memory had been swiped again, but that seemed highly unlikely since he can remember his friends. But not only that, the Reaper said that the Games were now involving living people in addition to dead Players under the orders of the Composer. Joshua was the last Composure when Neku competed in the Games last year and though he had doubts about humanity, Neku knew his friend wouldn't commit such a drastic act. The only logical explanation was that either that he was being manipulated or…he had been eliminated.

"No way." Neku grunted, shaking his head of the thought. "Joshua is way too strong to go down like that. There must be a perfectly good reason why everything is happening now. I just…I just can't figure out what? What the hell is going on around here?"

"Still confused I see." A smooth voice echoed in the alley, putting Neku on alert. "Then perhaps I can shed a little light."

And at that moment, a vortex of absolute darkness rose from the ground before Neku before vanishing just as suddenly as it had appeared. Left behind it its place was a young woman with lengthy, platinum-blond hair and cold-violet eyes hidden behind a pair of silver-rimmed glasses. She wore short. Pitch-black dress with a frilly-white undershirt, a black bow around her neck, thigh-length black stockings, a pair of pure-white shoes, and three silver bangles on her right wrist. The last time Neku had met someone that matched that description; it had not been a pleasant experience, which was obvious by the scowl on the boy's expression.

"The miracle delinquent, Neku Sakuraba." The woman said coldly, tipping her glasses up. "I see you're still alive – such a shame."

"Mitsuki Konishi." Neku glared. "What are you doing here? The last time we met, Beat and I erased you."

"Silly little child." Mitsuki laughed darkly. "You can't just 'erase' a Reaper. We make it our mission in existence to erase Players so that we can continue to exist. The more Players we eliminate from the competition, the long we exist. You may have destroyed me last time, but that was just one of many opportunities I have as a Reaper."

"And I take it you're the Game Master." Neku concluded. "That would explain a lot. Only you would be sadistic enough to involve living people in the Reapers' Games."

"Don't be so quick to blame me, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki said pointedly. "It was our generous Composer that made all of this possible. I was just simply following the rules as the Game's new Conductor."

"You're the Conductor?" Neku exclaimed shockingly. "That's insane! Joshua would never let a witch like you be the Conductor! Unless…" He stared at the ground helplessly. "Unless he was somehow beaten. This Composer…is Joshua still the Composer."

"Hmm…" Mitsuki hummed thoughtfully. "I could tell you. But in the spirit of the Reapers' Game – no pun intended – I'm willing to make a deal: a new mission. You will be given a sixty minute countdown in which time you must defeat me to extract the information. Fail and face permanent Erasure. Do you agree to these terms, Neku Sakuraba?"

"Do I have a choice?" Neku grimaced.

"No, I suppose you don't." Mitsuki smiled malevolently, snapping her fingers loudly. On command, Neku felt a sharp pain in his right palm and the sixty minute countdown appeared. "The mission begins now."

"You made a huge mistake, witch." Neku proclaimed, jabbing his hand into his pocket. "You gave me fifty-five more minutes than I need to kick your sorry…" His sentence slowly trailed off when a horrid sense of realization washed over him: his pockets were empty. "What the hell? Where did my…ZIDANE!"

* * *

Back in Alexandria's royal castle, Zidane rested peacefully on the soft mattress in the queen's bedchamber – his shirt and cloak tossed over a nearby chair. The golden-haired Genome was carefully inspecting each Pin he had…"borrowed" from the guy in the cool headphones, trying to figure out how they worked. But his attention was diverted when the door to the bathroom opened gently, revealing his beloved Garnet in her silky-white nightgown. The horned queen giggled embarrassingly under Zidane's intensive stare, slowly walking around the bed and cuddling up to her lover.

"Well, hello beautiful." Zidane said smoothly. "I think heaven might be missing an angel."

"You are horrible, you know that." Garnet laughed, which the Genome responded likewise. She eyes wandered from her lover's face to the collection of badges in his hand and the pile sitting on the nightstand. "Zidane, are those the Pins Neku used earlier."

"Um…yeah." Zidane replied weakly, purposely looking away. "He uh…let me have a few because he had doubles or something."

"Zidane…" Garnet said dangerously, earning a timid gulp from the monkey-tailed thief. "Did you take them from Neku? I can't believe you would do that to a new friend, especially after he risked his life to save the Troupe! What if he needs those?"

"C'mon, Garnet, we're in Alexandria." Zidane excused hopefully. "What's the worst that could happen here?"

* * *

Neku was thrown backwards into a collection of metal trashcans, creating a loud clatter that could be heard up and down the alley. It was amazing that no one had noticed anything after all the noise they had made – the sound, not the monster. The orange-haired Player slowly sat up, using the cans for support while spitting out the blood that had collected in his mouth. Without his Pins to aid him, Neku was reduced to Mitsuki's punching bag. His favorite shirt was starting to rip, his headphones were tossed to the side, and a thin river of crimson started from his forehead and ended at his chin. Despite common sense telling him to stay down, Neku wasn't about to give this witch the pleasure of knowing she had beaten him. As he shakily pushed to his feet, Neku looked down at his hand.

**52:12**

"_Damn, it's only been eight minutes and she's beating the crap out of me._" Neku scowled, tightening his fist angrily. "_What am I supposed to do now? The only Pin I've got on my is the Player Pin and that's useless against a Conductor. When I get my hand on that monkey, I'm gonna…_"

"Giving up already, Neku Sakuraba?" Mitsuki asked sadistically, earning a heated glare. "My, my, you are a stubborn one. Wouldn't it just be easier to accept Erasure? Given everything that's happened today, I would think it would be a blessing."

"Yeah, it does sound like an easy escape." Neku said, suddenly sounding confident in Mitsuki's ears. "But the easy choice isn't usually the right one. I've already died once before, so I'm not afraid of death. Even if you torture me and kill me, it's not going to be over. I've still got Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, Eri, and Joshua."

"What nonsense are you prattling on about?" Mitsuki frowned.

"The World Ends with You." Neku smirked, confusing the Conductor. "That's what Mr. Hanekome said to me. At first, I thought it meant that my world would be over when I am. But then I made friends like Shiki and Beat – they taught me that as long as we remember each other, our world will never end." He moved into a fighting position, looking suddenly invigorated. "Sorry, witch, but I'm never gonna go away."

"Is that right?" Mitsuki scoffed, tipping her glasses up. "Well, if that's the case, then I have just one favor to ask. If you won't fade away, then the least you can do…is scream a little louder."

* * *

**Please, read and review.  
**


	7. Null and Void Space

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

******Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**  


* * *

**Chapter Six: Null and Void Space**

Night had fallen over the massive city of Alexandria; a turning point of the day when the shops finally closed and the citizens returned to their homes to rest for the next day. It had become an unspoken rule that no one should step out in the middle of the straits during the night in fear of thieves, monsters, and the occasional exhibitionist. This had become common sense in Alexandria. Too bad no one warned Neku Sakuraba of this – not that he would listen to them anyway.

The sound of heavy blows being made echoed down the empty cobblestone street and the orange-haired Player was sent flying on to his back. Wincing from the new bruises that were most likely forming along his spine, Neku lifted himself up to his elbows and glared menacingly at the Iron Maiden. For someone who looked so petite and fragile, Mitsuki was tremendously stronger and could be a cruel bitch worthy of her nickname. The cold-hearted woman was at a clear advantage with Neku's lack of Pins, but she chose to take her time with him than just finishing him off quickly.

The headphone warrior slowly crawled to his knees in hopes of getting back to his feet, only to have Mitsuki rush over and kick him the face. The fact that she was wearing high heels was only proof of her cruelty. The force of the kick flipped Neku backwards and caused him to land on his stomach...hard. Battered, bruised, bleeding, and most likely suffering from internal damage, it was amazing that Neku hadn't gone back to the Reaper's Game by now. At least there he would have a fighting chance. The orange-haired Player weakly tried to push himself up, but was rejected as Mitsuki pushed him back down with her foot; her heel digging into his back.

"An impressive display of willpower, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki compliment, tipping her glasses up. "Much better than that chimpanzee you once partnered with. How a bright boy like you could work with an ignorant, drooling monkey like him is…abominable."

"Hey, he's not…..Ok, he's a little bit of an idiot." Neku admitted unwillingly. "But he's still my friend and a damn good partner at that. You should know; that 'chimpanzee' kicked your ass last time we met." Mitsuki glowered at the comment and pressed her heel harder into the boy's spinal cord. "Ahh! Damn it!"

"You're smart enough not to anger me, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki stated coldly. "The odds are currently against you now that you have been liberated of your only tools for fighting back. And I am not in a particularly good mood after what happened last time we met." She removed her heel and kneeled down to the boy, grabbing his face to force him to look at her. "I should kill you where you stand and forbid you any chance of reaching the Reaper's Game. However…I have come to respect for your natural abilities – particularly your uncanny use of the Pins."

"I'm flattered." Neku replied sarcastically

"If you want, I could spare you Erasure by turning you into one of my Noise." Mitsuki offered, sounding like she was handing out a sweet treat. "Think about it: an eternity of life at my side."

"An eternity with you?" Neku scoffed. "If I wanted to stay with a delusional old bat, I would have moved in with my grandmother."

"That that so?" Mitsuki scowled; her left eye twitched at the comment. Her gaze wondered over the blaring-red timer on Neku's right palm: **46:27**. "There is still time left on the counter, but I'm getting annoyed with your smug attitude. I'll just kill you now."

Pulling back her left hand, her nails suddenly seemed longer and carried a silvery tone – just like her Noise Form. Mitsuki began swiping her claws to rip the boy's face to shreds…until she felt something rubbing against her chest. Looking her, her eyes were wide and her mouth fell at the pair of gloves hands feeling up her breasts. Though she was a cold-hearted demon, Mitsuki was still a woman and her following reaction was to be expected. The Iron Maiden jumped away with a high-pitched squeal, wrapping her arms protectively around her offended mammary glands. She shot a glare at the soon-to-be-dead molester, who was, unsurprisingly, the star of Alexandria's latest performance: Zidane Tribal. The golden Genome wide grinning from ear-to-ear in a typical perverted fashion with his hands up as if he was still feeling her up.

"Nice and firm – just the way I like 'em." Zidane said elated.

"You…you disgusting pervert!" Mitsuki said flustered.

"Ya just couldn't stay out of trouble, could ya?" Zidane said arrogantly, taking Neku by the hand and pulling him to his feet. "You're lucky I should up just in time. You would have been so dead without me."

"I was already dying because of you!" Neku shouted heatedly, plowing his fist over the monkey's skull. "You stupid little prick! What the hell were you thinking taking my Pins! If it wasn't for you…"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Zidane chuckled nervously. "I know what I did was wrong, so I brought you a little present to make up for it." He reached for the pouch on his belt and handed it off to Neku; checking the contents for his missing Pins. The headphone warrior quickly shifted through them, making sure that the monkey hadn't ripped him off again. "I was feeling bad about taking your Pins after you helped my friends, so I decided to give them back. You're lucky I'm such a generous guy."

"That's great." Neku said blandly, transferring the Pins to his pocket. "Now what's the real reason?"

"Garnet said I would sleep on the couch for a year if I didn't." Zidane mumbled in defeat.

"Whipped." Neku snickered, much to the irritation of the Genome.

"Ugh…you always managed to team up with the lowest of the evolutionary scale, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki grumbled miserably; her face still red with embarrassment. "First the brainless baboon and now a perverted chimp. I would expect better from someone of your stature."

"Your attempts to butter me up won't work." Neku grabbed his signature headphones off the ground, setting them back in their rightful place. "I don't know how strong Zidane really is, but you of all people should know what I'm capable of when I have my Pins. And since we're not the Underground, you can't use your Noise Form to fight back. Your chances of winning have gone down the drain."

"That is true…" Mitsuki chuckled knowingly, tipping her glasses up. Neku narrowed his eyes in suspicion; she was up to something. "But you are only half correct. While it is true that Reapers lose their wings and powers in the Realground, I have found a convenient way around that problem."

"And that is…?" Neku questioned slowly.

The Iron Maiden sighed softly, tipping up her glasses with a small smirk. Mitsuki slowly held out her right hands and formed a sphere of pure gray light. Taking in the confused expressions of her opponents, Mitsuki smiled one last time before casually tossing the colorless orb into the night sky. The globe put some distance between itself and the warriors, gently coming to a halt thirty feet above them. Not a moment later, the gray ball expanded over the town, covering everything within a fifty foot radius. Neku and Zidane knew they wouldn't be able to dodge a wide-spread attack like that in time and quickly raised their arms in defense the sphere passed over them. Surprisingly enough, both warriors didn't seem harmed by the attack. Quite the contrary - Neku felt better than he had all night,

As they looked around the area, they realized that the gray orb wasn't made for attacking, but rather for some other unknown purpose. Nothing appeared damaged or altered, but there was a noticeable silence that covered the city, ignoring the fact that it was already past midnight. Mitsuki Konishi remained rooted in her spot with a devious smirk on her admittedly beautiful face, tilting her glasses back up.

"What did you do, Mitsuki?" Neku questioned suspiciously.

"Nothing much, really." Mitsuki proclaimed. "I simply put up a Void Space in the area. Now we won't have to worry about anymore unwanted guests barging in on our little game."

"Void Space?" Zidane repeated, tilting his head in confusion.

"I wouldn't expect an uncivilized monkey like you to understand." Mitsuki scolded, once again tipping her glasses up. "But the Void Space is an interdimensional rift that can create a physical area of space that exists within this dimension, but completely exist on an alternate plane. In simple terms, we are still in Alexandria, just on a different frequency."

"It's just like the Underground." Neku simplified.

"In a matter of speaking, yes." Mitsuki acknowledged. "The Void Space has a specific condition. It can only be used and seen by those who are chosen to be Warriors of Harmony or Discord. And as it would seem, the both of you are Warriors of Harmony."

"Harmony and Discord?" Zidane hummed thoughtfully. "Where does that sound familiar?"

"Another benefit of the Void Space is that the users access to their full strength." Mitsuki proclaimed, removing her glasses for the first time. "Now is my chance to play the Game properly."

"You can play with me any time." Zidane said perversely, earning a smack from his orange-haired partner.

The blond Conductor blatantly ignored the perverted primate as she dropped her glasses on the ground, crushing them beneath her heel. Tilting her head back and spreading her arms wide, her petite form was enveloped in a faint aura of burning-orange light. Neku recognized the light and reached for a handful of Pins – he knew he was going to need them. Mitsuki's features were drastically altered as her skin and clothing melding into a burning-orange layer with black stripes like a tiger's. Her hands and feet shifted into razor-sharp claws, she grew a wispy burning-orange tail, and a pair of orange and black wings sprouted from her spine.

Mitsuki's Noise Form, Tigris Cantus, was revered as one of the strongest of the Reaper's alternate forms, second only to the previous Conductor's Draco Cantus. The newly transformed Iron Maiden hovered over the street by strength of her wings, leaning back casually in midair with one leg over the other and her hands neatly on her lap. She looked like she was giving an interview instead of preparing to maul a couple of teenagers. For the briefest moment, there was a pregnant period of silence.

Or at least there was before the atmosphere was pulsating with the sudden sound of techno style music - **(****_Twister_)**. Neku snapped his head to the sky in confusion, Mitsuki glanced in the same direction, and Zidane actual tripped on his own tail. The music was sounded more like a modern tune that Neku had often heard in Shibuya; this wasn't something you would hear in Alexandria. But the real question was where the music was coming from – there shouldn't be anyone other than them in the Void Space.

"Argh! What the hell is that?" Zidane exclaimed. "It's horrible."

"I like it." Neku commented, earning a glare from the Genome.

"_Don't tell me…_" Mitsuki thought with narrowed eyes. "_This is the work of that pointy-eared brat. If she's here, then I can't afford to waste time with Neku Sakuraba and his monkey sidekick. I must report to the Composer as soon as possible._" The tiger-printed Conductor unfolded her legs and leaned forward, looking to the two teenagers who were arguing about their tastes in music. "_A shame really. I had grown fond of you, Neku Sakuraba._

* * *

**Neku Sakuraba/Zidane Tribal vs. Mitsuki Konishi**

"And now there are floating letters." Neku commented blandly, noting the golden letters that vanished as quickly as they appeared. "I know the Reaper Games are supposed to be about challenges, but this is starting to feel too much like a video game." Zidane scratched his head with his tail, obviously pondering over the headphone warrior's words. "Just forget about it. All that we should be worried about is the freaky tiger girl."

"I don't know." Zidane shrugged. "I think she's kinda hot."

"Oh god…" Neku groaned.

"Your chances of winning are zero." Mitsuki growled.

"This is gonna be quick!" Zidane shouted, giving his twin swords a quick twirl.

"You're too loud…" Neku muttered with his hands in his pockets. "_And to top it all off, we sound like we're making encounter quotes from that fighting game Beat likes. This is getting too weird."_

With her wings spread out, the Iron Maiden flapped once and rocketed across the street within the blink of an eye. The orange-haired Player pushed the golden Genome away and jumped backwards to safety just in time to avoid Mitsuki's claw attack. The tiger-printed Conduct ripped the cobblestone street apart like it was made of paper, leaving three scars in the middle of the pavement. Once Neku regained his footing, the formerly deceased teen slapped a Pin on his shirt – black with orange/red plates. His hand covered in a reddish-orange glow, Neku jumped forward until he was within striking distance of the Iron Maiden. The tiger-printed Conductor swiped her claw for the boy's face, but Neku effortlessly ducked under her arm. With Mitsuki open wide for attack, the orange-haired Player swiped his fist skyward for a strong uppercut.

"**Kusanagi!**" Neku exclaimed.

The Kusanagi pin was the strongest in Neku's Vulcan Uppercut collection and would deal immense damage once making contact. However, the Iron Maiden was better than what he gave her credit for as she effortlessly stopped the uppercut with her free hand and dissolved the glow around his fist. With the orange-haired teen in her grasp, Mitsuki used her enhanced strength to force the headphone-wearing Player around and twist his arm around his back. Neku hissed loudly; the muscles in his arm and shoulders were burning like hell.

Fortunately, Mitsuki had apparently forgotten about Zidane Tribal, who had stealthily climbed to the rooftops. Standing close to the ledge, he managed to crawl across the shingled roof until he was facing the back of the winged tiger-woman and his pin-wearing partner. With a confident smirk, the golden Genome separated his blades and jumped off with a zealous howl.

"Cannonball!" Zidane shouted eagerly.

"Idiot." Mitsuki scoffed, glancing over her shoulder. With a simple nod of the head, a black copy of Mitsuki ripped from the Conductor's shadow, gliding up to meet the flying monkey. Zidane squeaked in surprise and tried flapping arms to fly – failing epically – but was quickly knocked to the side by the shadow copy. "If you're planning a sneak attack, the key thing you need emphasize is the sneaking part."

"Aw, but where's the fun in that, sweetness?" Zidane replied, winking flirtatiously.

"Unbelievable." Neku rolled his eyes. "Hey, dumbass, you should have kept your mouth shut. Mitsuki has the power to control shadows and make copies of herself. She has the advantage in dark places."

"Well, it's a good thing we're not in a dark alley at midnight!" Zidane exclaimed sarcastically.

"Why are you working with him again?" Mitsuki whispered into her prisoner's ear.

"He's good for a laugh." Neku answered in comedic fashion, quickly slapping his free hand against his chest. When he moved it, a crescent moon pin was latched to his shirt. "**Lightning Moon!**"

A wave of sparks erupted from the headphone warriors's right hand and expanded around his whole body. Mitsuki snarled as a surge of electricity coursed through her hands, forcing her to release her prey. And consequently, her brief disruption in concentration permitted the destruction of the shadow clone she had created to ward off Zidane. Now that he was free from the grip of the tiger-printed Conductor, Neku pivoted around of his heel and thrust his hand at the cold-hearted Reaper with a sphere of collective electricity in his palm.

Mitsuki growled as she wrapped her wings to form a cocoon around her body, effectively canceling out the electric charge. But just before she was able to counterattack, the tiger-printed Reaper snapped her head back and screeched in an animalistic fashion as she felt something tear across her back. Zidane had jumped directly behind the Iron Maiden and slashed his dual sword in an 'X' formation across her the surface of her back, leaving a red mark in the place where the swords struck.

Mitsuki snarled angrily in a way that matched her appearance – this perverted monkey was literally getting under her skin. The Iron Maiden lengthened her claws and swiped backwards, but only cleaved the air as Zidane avoided her with a skillful backflip. The golden Genome landed upside-down on his hands, sticking his tongue playfully at the Conductor. But while Mitsuki was pissed at the perverted primate, she had lost sight of her real goal. It only came back to her when Neku Sakuraba charged his fist with electrical energy and jab it thought the woman's body via the cuts on her back. Chocking on her own shrieks and suppressing her twitching nerves, the cold-hearted Conductor dropped forward on her hand and knees – her wings draping over her like a blanket.

"I…have underestimated you…again…Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki panted tiredly. "I should…have learned…from my own...mistakes. I…made the same…mistake…last time."

"Uh…I'm here, too, ya know." Zidane waved, which caused him to fall on his head.

"I have a few questioned for you, Mitsuki." Neku stated seriously, walking around until he was facing her. The headphone-wearing player grasped her by the shoulders and lifted her up until they were face-to-face. "For starters, tell me what the hell is going on with these Reaper's Games. Why are Realground people involved in this? Did Joshua get hurt? Is there a new Composer."

"You certainly have a lot of questions." Mitsuki hissed, suddenly latching her claws around the boy's wrists. "But don't expect any answers that easily." As she tightened her grip, the orange-haired Player grunted painfully and reluctantly released the Conductor. Now that she was in control, Mitsuki stood at full height and lifted Neku off the ground by his arms. "I will ask you again, Neku Sakuraba. Stay by my side and I will give you eternity."

"Suck it, bitch." Neku responded casually.

"Think about it, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki pleaded, looking genuinely disappointed. "You don't have to waste your life away with the disgusting people you hate and the crowded cities you live with. It'll just be you…and me."

"…Are you a pedophile?" Neku questioned blandly, earning a shocked look from the Conductor.

While the tiger-printed woman sputtered out an excuse, only enforcing Neku's belief, Zidane had succeeded in sneaking up directly behind the Iron Maiden. The golden Genome snickered lecherously as he slowly reached around for a second attempt to feel her up. She may look like a monster, but she was still crazy hot in his opinion. However, Mitsuki seemed fully aware of Zidane's place as the Conductor's shadow jumped and formed a pair of dark handcuffs around his wrists. Looking over her shoulder with an intimidating glare, Mitsuki lifted her tail and snapped it across Zidane's forehead, sending him flying back into the wall.

While he was sympathetic towards his friends – that was a bold-faced lie – Neku took this opportunity to lift his feet and push-off against the woman's abdomen, forcing her to release. As the headphone-wearing teenager landed a good few feet away, he activated both Pins already attached to his shirt; Kusanagi in his left hand and Lightning Moon in his right. Mitsuki was genuinely impressed – it took great skill to be able to use more than one Psych at a time. At the same time, Zidane stood back to his feet with his forehead still bleeding, casually tossing off his cloak and reconnecting his twin-bladed weapon. The cold-hearted Iron Maiden could help smirking – this was going to be interesting.

Neku charged ahead first with his Lightning hand pushed forward, which Mitsuki managed to sidestep and wrapped her tail around his wrist. At the same time, Zidane rolled forward under the Iron Maiden and jumped up with the Ozma's Splitters twirling expertly in his hand. The golden Genome was in the perfect position to strike, but Mitsuki's wings folded to provide an effective shield between them. While Zidane recoiled from his failed attack, Mitsuki lashed her tail and tossed her orange-haired adversary into the perverted primate.

While Neku tumbled away a good distance, Zidane was able to catch himself and kicked off the ground the moment he landed. He separated his weapon into its separate forms and held them forward while spiraling rapidly. Mitsuki narrowed her eyes and took a stance by stabbing her hand at the golden-haired monkey, miraculously clashing her black claws against with the surface of his right blade. Though his first attack was diverted, Zidane flipped forward with his leg raised and dropped it forward over the Conductor's head. Unfortunately, Mitsuki was able block it with her free hand – Zidane grinned confidently. Now with both of her hands occupied, the golden Genome flipped his free blade around in his hand and made a hasty stab at his stomach. Zidane's attack would have made its target if the tiger-printed woman hadn't flapped her wings, creating a gust that blew him back.

While Zidane was thrown backwards, Neku hurtled over him with his hands clasped together over his head. As the orange-haired Player brought it down over his enemy, Mitsuki closed her wings in defense. Though her wings managed to close off the initial impact, the force of Kusanagi and Lightning Moon joined managed to force the Iron Maiden to her knees, leaving a deep imprint in the street. Mitsuki grunted roughly – she was wasting too much time playing with them. She needed to take care of this now. So with a soft growl, the tiger-printed Conductor unfurled her wings, causing Neku to stumble backwards. Everything that happened after that was a blur with Mitsuki punching the living daylights out of him before kicking him in the chest, sending him sliding back next to Zidane.

"You know, I've met a lot of dominating women in my time." Zidane commented. "But that girl is…"

"Don't finish that." Neku snapped, slowly pushing to his knees. "Ugh, this is impossible. She was tough before when she was just a Game Master. Now that she's a Conductor, she's damn near impossible to beat."

"How'd ya beat her last time?" Zidane asked as he sat up.

"Last time, me and Beat used a Level 3 Fusion at the last minute." Neku answered, glaring at the tiger-woman.

"Then why don't we use that level…whatever fusion thing and take her down?" Zidane offered.

"You really are an ignorant chimp." Mitsuki said cruelly, stepping forward slowly. "The Fusion Pin can only be accessed by Players who own Harmonizer Pins. You Realground baboons couldn't possibly understand the complexities that it takes to work the Psyches."

"That doesn't stop us from trying, right?" Zidane said undeterred. "C'mon, Neku, I think we can handle it."

"But she's right." Neku stated unconvincingly. "How…?"

"Neku, I'm your partner." Zidane smiled confidently to the headphone-wearing teen. "Just trust me, ok?"

Always trust your partner – that was the first and foremost lesson he learned from Mr. H and he lived by that rule since he returned from the Underground. It took him a while to open up, but he came to trust Shiki, Beat, Rhyme, and even Eri to some extent. Hell, he still trusted Joshua even after all the terrible stuff he did. And now that he had a new partner willing to help, he had no reason to have any more misgivings about his character – though he was still pissed about his Pins missing. With a small smirk, Neku nodded and stood up against the Iron Maiden with Zidane standing ready at his side. Since Zidane had never visited the Underground, he sincerely doubted that he would be capable of understanding how a complex Fusion technique would work. But he trusted Zidane – that was enough.

Taking a deep calming breathe, Neku closed his vision from the world and tried focusing on making a connecting with Zidane. At first, he couldn't feel anything from the Golden Genome. And then…he saw something…deep within the dark recesses of his mind. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but if had to put it in words…it looked like a deep-purple sine waveform.

"_Is that…Noise?_" Neku thought curiously. "_No…it's my soul. All the thoughts and feelings appear in my mind is the form of sound waves – not surprising for a guy like me. And this…_" And orange triangle waveform appeared below the deep-purple waveform. "_This must be...Zidane's soul. They're so different. But…maybe…_"

Neku wasn't sure if it would work – hell, he didn't even know half the stuff he was talking about. But Neku understood the differences between their souls and tried to force a change in his. Surprisingly enough, it was easier than he had expected and soon his soul reshaped into a triangle waveform that perfectly matched with his partner. Now that their souls were similar, the two waveforms overlapped and a sudden glow of strength exploded in the orange-haired Player's mind.

Though the change was only made in his thoughts, the effects it had became reality in the physical world. Zidane's once golden hair and tail were colored in a shade of hot-pink, his clothing was dissolved and replaced by hair of the same color, and his formerly multicolored weapons were changed to a hot-pink color as well. And like his partner, Neku Sakuraba underwent a transformation, but not as one as dramatic as the Genome. His famous fiery-orange hair was changed to a rich-purple color, his favorite shirt was missing, and there were rich-purple crystals growing from his wrists, shoulders, and abdomen.

Neku and Zidane stared at their new forms in shock – even Mitsuki looked stunned beyond belief.

"What…the hell is this?" Neku asked confused, tapping the crystals growing from his stomach. "And where's my shirt?"

"This is Trance." Zidane said amazingly, snapping his attention back to his partner. "I don't know what you did, but I'm glad you did it."

"_Impossible…_" Mitsuki thought absurdly. "_How…how could he use Synchronize? That kind of power only belongs to the Composer. Don't tell me…he is…_"

"Ready to go, partner." Zidane said with renewed vigor.

"You know it, partner." Neku answered.

The hot-pink Genome – Neku was thankful he didn't end up with a girly color – connected his two swords together and twirled them skillfully in one hand, kneeling down in a position to pounce. A sudden wave of fear crawled down the Conductor's spine and she attempted to close her wings in hopes of defending herself before they could attack. But it all was in vain. Faster than Lightning (yeah, faster than her), Zidane crossed the street and slashed his sword through the air, severing the wing from her spine. Mitsuki roared in a fashion similar to the beast she impersonated and clamped a hand over her shoulder. The Conductor glared back at the Genome, only to find Neku holding the twin-bladed weapon in his place.

Leaping off some invisible platform in the air, the rich-purple Player dived backwards at speeds equal to his partner and slashed Mitsuki across her side. While the Iron Maiden hissed dangerously, Neku touched the ground and exploded in a flash of light, quickly leaving Zidane in his place. Back and forth, the Trance partners were slashing the tiger-printed Conductor ruthlessly, each replacing the other after every individual strike. Within twelve strikes from each warrior, Mitsuki looked worse for wear as she was barely able to stay standing.

But after the last slash, Zidane's swords were separated in midair and tossed in opposite sides of the Conductor. As Mitsuki watched the two swords fall in different directions, Neku and Zidane suddenly appeared on both sides, each catching one of the blades. Mitsuki could see where this was going. Making a final dash across the street, Neku and Zidane simultaneously slashed across the Conductor's waist – a red planet and blue planet were briefly seen in the background.

"**Synchronize: Crossing Worlds!**" Neku and Zidane exclaimed.

The cold-hearted Iron Maiden gasped as the full impact of her damage finally became apparent by the blurry-white "x" scar that burned across her abdomen. As she dropped forward to her hands and knees, Mitsuki reverted to her original Reaper form, panting heavily and sweating profusely. At the same moment both Warriors of Harmony reverted to their original forms, the Void Space evaporated into the atmosphere – the annoying chirping of crickets returned to the world. Drawn by curiosity, Neku looked down at the blaring-red countdown on his right palm, relieved to know that he still have 24 minutes remained before it vanished – he was getting better that these Games.

"Did I…miscalculate?" Mitsuki moaned in defeat.

"Easy-peasy!" Zidane cheered, performing a gleeful backflip.

"What a waste of time." Neku remarked, readjusting his headphones.

**Victory: Neku Sakuraba/Zidane Tribal**

* * *

"Looks like I win again iron face." Neku announced. A victorious fanfare sounded in the street, causing Zidane to jump up into his partner's arms in fright. "What the hell was that?"

"You've beaten me once again, Neku Sakuraba." Mitsuki panted heavily, flashing the smallest smirk. "You know…I think I'm starting to like you a little more." Neku slowly took a step back. "That's not what I meant!"

"I beat you, Mitsuki, now you have to honor your agreement." Neku said seriously, dropping his partner on the ground unceremoniously. "Tell me what happened to Joshua."

"The Composer?" Mitsuki chuckled darkly. "Nothing has happened. In fact, I don't think I've seen him in a better mood. He's changed so much for the better ever since he joined forces with Master Xehanort and the Divide."

"Xehanort? Divide?" Neku repeated angrily. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut out time short." Mitsuki stated; her body started flicking in and out of reality. "I'm afraid that you have done so much damage that you have erased me again. But do not worry; this will not be the last time we meet. I promise you that."

And with that, Mitsuki faded from the realm of existence.

"Damn it." Neku growled, clenching his fists angrily. "I was so worried that Joshua might be hurt, but it turns out he's gone psychopathic again." He lowered his head; his hair shadowed his eyes. "Joshua…I really thought you changed."

"Hey, Neku." Zidane said, hoping to catch his partner's attention. "I don't really understand what's going on around here – in all honesty, I just want to get back to bed with Garnet. But putting that aside…I think I'm starting to understand you a little after all this. And…I know you want to help your friends. So…" He offered his hand. "Let's work together to figure this out, partner."

"Ok…let's do it…partner." Neku nodded, shaking the Genome's hand. A soft ballad song began playing in the background, causing the two warriors to search wildly for the source of the noise. "But first, let's round up a mob to find that damn orchestra."

So while the Warriors of Harmony went about their wild goose chase for an invisible band, neither of them noticed a girl with pointed ears sitting on the rooftops above them, waving her fingers like a conductor to an unseen orchestra.

* * *

Back in the vanishing world of Harmony and Discord, Master Xehanort sat up straight in the white-stone throne that formerly belonged to the golden-haired goddess with Jenova sitting patiently at his side. The elder Keyblade Master and the one-winged had been watching the fight intensely with satisfy results, checking the Pool of Discord every few minutes as they exchanged blows. Contrary to what it was before, the hollow basin had been filled with enough purple liquid to cover at least one inch of the crater. It wasn't much in retrospect, but it was a better result than the fight between Cloud and Lighting.

With a victorious chuckle, the bald master waved his hand to evaporate the viewing portal, leaning back casually in the throne he worked so hard to usurp. Everything had worked beyond his expectations, especially that Neku Sakuraba boy. He had shown a type of promise that Xehanort had not seen since Ventus and Riku, but it would seem unlikely that he would be able to convert. He had a similar mindset to that spiky-haired child that always interfered with his plans. And then…there was another problem he needed to address.

"Looks like your test run of the Void Space was a success." Jenova said, breaking the elderly master from his thoughts. "By focusing the battle within the Void Space, we were able to extract twice as much Discord from the fight than previously expected. You were right to send Ms. Konishi to handle the job. It's too bad she was erased."

"Ms. Konishi has already been erased twice." Xehanort proclaimed cunningly. "She still has seven more chances to make up from her mistakes. But as you said, everything worked according to plan. And it was thanks to the generosity of the Divide's newest member, Yoshiya Kiryu."

"Please, call me Joshua, master."

Emerging from behind the pillar chaining the former Goddess of Harmony, a young man walked around the edge and stepped out of the shadows. He looked particularly young – just around Neku's age – with wavy, ash-blond hair and dark-lavender eyes. His choice in clothing was rather simple with a white buttoned-down shirt, dark grey pants, and white shoes with black shoelaces. The boy called Joshua – the same name as the Reaper's Conductor – briefly glanced at the goddess before stepping up to the Keyblade Master.

"I am happy I could have been of use, Master Xehanort." Joshua said calmly. "I specifically chose Mitsuki because I knew she would be the only one to willing allow herself to act as a guinea pig for your experiment. She was always a loyal feline during her lifetime."

"I still can't believe that woman is actually a cat you transformed into a human." Jenova said interestingly. "Though I guess it comes in handy when you have nine souls to spare."

"Mitsuki's condition is not something we should worry about." Joshua said seriously. "I'm sure you noticed it, too. The strange background music, the warriors appearing in worlds we haven't sent them, the sudden shift in Harmony."

"Yes…I have noticed." Xehanort acknowledged, leaning forward in his throne. "There is no doubt about it – the daughter of Cosmos is finally making her move."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	8. Traverse Town

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

******Note: My One-or-None Policy is still in effect. That means that unless there is at least one review for this and future chapters posted, all stories will come to a definite halt. That includes Naruto: Jinchuriki Chronicles, and Fairy Tail: Rekindle, Birds or Prey.**  


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**Chapter Seven: Traverse Town**

The night was calm and quiet; only the gentle chirping of crickets broke the intimidating silence. Times of peace were very rare in this settlement, particularly after the Invasion of Shadows. The town was rather old-fashioned – Victorian Era in terms of design and layout – with a handful of shops spotted in various areas. From the small open aired café on the left-hand side to the wide plaza in the center of the district to the quaint little shop with the "Accessory Shop" sign flashing in bright neon. The town was locked in perpetual night and required the use of constant lighting, but the curtain of stars hanging from above made everything worthwhile. Indeed, Traverse Town was the picture of peace, quiet, and tranquility.

Raise your hand if you actually buy that.

At the second level of the café, a young boy barely into his teen years was teetering dangerously on his heels, groaning sluggishly as if he had just wakened from a long sleep. He was slightly form-fitting with chestnut-brown hair that spiked in every direction and curious ocean-blue eyes. Nodding slightly with his brain slowly starting to catch up, the oddly fashioned teenager blinked away his blurry vision and slowly searched around in confusion and interest. Yep, he was definitely not on the Islands anymore. He was already expecting that, but at least he was somewhere that was familiar to him.

"This is…" Sora murmured slowly. "Traverse Town…" While he looked around, he noticed something different about himself in addition to the environment. "My clothes changed!"

No longer was he wearing the magical black clothing given to him by the Fairies, but instead a completely different attire that slightly resembled his original clothing. He wore a black shirt with a silver "x" across his chest, a black-and-grey short-sleeved coat with a red hood overtop, red-and-black shorts suspended by a vibrant-blue belt, black fingerless gloves with yellow bands around the wrist and silver bands around the palms, and a pair of bright-yellow shoes with black designs and white laces. At the very least, he was able to keep his silver crown necklace with his new uniform – it was his signature. **(1)**

"Is this Yen Sid's magic?" Sora questioned amazingly, taking the time to admire his new attire. Not to sound conceited, but he looked good. But even with his new cloths, it couldn't distract him from one of the more important things missing from the scenery. "Hey, where's Riku?" He clambered on to the railing, calling out to his friend at the top of his lungs. "Riku! Hey, Riku!"

"You certainly are a noisy fellow!"

The response was unexpected and Sora ended up losing his balance, free-falling down to ground level, pounding the cobblestone street with his back. He considered himself fortunate that he was used to this kind of punishment or that could have seriously hurt. Lifting himself up, groaning, he turned his attention to the young man looming over him with an amusing smirk. He was close to Sora's age with wavy, ash-blond hair and dark-lavender eyes. His choice in clothing was rather simple with a white buttoned-down shirt, dark grey pants, and white shoes with black shoelaces. Rather than helping the unfortunate brunette, Joshua merely chortled as Sora picked himself up and dusted off his cloths.

"So, you're Sora." Joshua hummed thoughtfully. "I expected you to be…taller."

"I get that a lot." Sora commented, brushing the dirt of his sleeve. "Hey…how did you know my name?"

"The people around town talk about you a lot." Joshua informed; Sora felt an uplift of pride. "They describe you as a loud, annoying kid swinging around a giant key like he's on a sugar-high." And that pride was gone. "I'm not exactly sure where the key part came from, but it is an honor to meet you nonetheless. How much time do you have left?"

"Time?" Sora repeated clueless. "What?"

Not even bothering to explain him, the ashy-haired youngster took hold of Sora's right hand and forced his palm up. The brunette didn't really understand what he was expecting, but the newcomer was visibly disappointed.

"Hmm…even though you enter the town, you're not a Player." Joshua frowned.

"Player?" Sora repeated confused.

"Of course." Joshua explained, holding out his right hand. A neon-red timer was visible in his right palm despite the lack of lighting, indicating that he had **46:10 **and was slowly ticking down with every second. "It's a game. Time limits are given to all Players. To complete the game, you must complete the assigned mission with in the designated time period."

"What happens if you run out of time?" Sora asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." Joshua smiled easily. "You just get erased from existence."

"Erased?" Sora exclaimed.

"It's nothing to worry about." Joshua said leisurely. "As long as I complete today's mission, I should be fine."

"Oh…ok." Sora muttered uncertainly with his hands behind his head. "I don't really know about this game, but maybe I can help." Joshua chuckled lightly. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Joshua waved. "It's just so funny how you're willing to believe the words of a complete stranger."

"Well then, my name's Sora." The Keyblade Warrior introduced simplistically. "Now we're not strangers anymore."

"You're an odd fellow." Joshua commented; Sora pouted. "Since you we kind enough to introduce yourself, it's only fair that I show you the same courtesy. My name is Yoshiya Kiryu, but my parents and friends call me Joshua."

"Uh…why?" Sora pondered aloud.

"That is…" Joshua started, slowly blinking in realization. "A really good question, actually. I don't really understand where the name Joshua comes from – I just went along with it. But back to the main point of this discussion." He slowly turned and walked away. "I don't think you can help me out since you're not a Player of the Games."

I don't need to be a Player to help." Sora stated like it was the most obvious thing. "I can help you by being your friend. And friends help each other out when they need it the most."

"You truly are the strangest person I have ever met." Joshua commented over his shoulder, earning a sour look from the spiky brunette. "I'm not sure having you as a friend would be beneficial to my cause. I prefer someone like Neku Sakuraba – at least he has the common sense not to trust everyone he meets."

"Neku…Sakuraba?" Sora repeated inquisitively.

The ashy-haired teen merely smirked out of sight, thanking whatever higher beings that this boy wasn't as paranoid as the others. Before Sora had a chance to stop his new friend, Joshua made his exit in the most unusual – and impressive – way possible. He may not look the part, but Joshua easily managed to jump towards the nearest street lamp and started swinging around in full circle before letting go. From there, he grinded upwards on the stair railing and made an impressive leap to the Accessory Shop roof before vanishing out of sight.

The spiky-haired brunette stared in awe at his departure. Joshua might not be the friendliest of characters he's met, but he certainly knew how to put on a good show. But now, Sora was left right back where he started: lost in another world without his best friend. Sora crossed his arms and hummed to himself, remembering the words of the elderly master that brought him here.

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**-_Flashback-_**

"Master Xehanort was a prodigious Keyblade Master."

Sora, along with his best friend, Riku, stood in attention to the elderly man sitting in the chair across from them. His beard long and grey, his face wrinkled from years of experience, and his eyes sharp and focused greater than that of the mighty hawks. His attire in the form of a lengthy, sapphire-blue robe and a adorned on his head was a pointed hat decorated in golden stars and moons. Despite his frail appearance, the teenaged boys could feel power radiating from him – it was to be expected from the Universe's former most powerful Keyblade Master. Off to the side, King Mickey of Disney Castle and his loyal subjects stood in waiting for the master and his newest disciples.

"His unparalleled talents were thus the cause of much worry." Yen Sid continued. "What exactly is the 'heart', which has the power to control even a person's own strength? The answer that Xehanort came upon lay within the "Keyblade War". From the midst of the old tale of the battle between light and darkness, Master Xehanort tried to seek out the essence of light and darkness that resides in the heart. Rather than choosing his duty as a Master, he chose to go on a journey of pursuit. Through his long journey, he had taken many forms and stood in the way of the Keyblade wielders who safeguarded the light." The king seemed visibly sad at the mention of this unnamed Keyblade wielders. "However, it does not end here. Quite the contrary…I fear Master Xehanort has become more dangerous than ever before."

"Whaddya mean?" Sora questioned interestingly.

"It has come to my attention, that Master Xehanort has discovered the true purpose of the Keyblade War." Yen Sid explained. "That the Keyblade War was merely the first of thirteen consecutive wars fought between the forces of Harmony and Discord. These wars – referred to as Cycles – were fought for nearly a millennia until Chaos, the God of Discord, was vanquished by the Warriors of Cosmos, the Goddess of Harmony. With the embodiment of Discord lost, the balance was forever tipped in favor of Harmony."

"But that's a good thing…isn't it?" Riku asked strangely. "If Harmony won, then there won't be any more fighting."

"I am afraid it is not that simple." Yen Sid sighed deeply. "Harmony and Discord balance one another. If one side should ever maintain dominion over the other, it would bring about unparalleled destruction. I theorize that this may contribute to the existence of the X-Blade." He folded his hands together, staring down the young boys. "I was recently visited by the heir of Cosmos and have learned the Xehanort has taken Cosmos as his prisoner."

"The goddess!" Sora shouted shockingly. "How could Xehanort beat a goddess? How is he even still around?"

"I understand that you have many questions, but this is not the time." Yen Sid stated firmly. "Xehanort has captured the Goddess of Harmony and is seeking to restore the balance between Harmony and Discord. For what purpose, I do not know. But there is one thing I do not: Xehanort has returned and he is gathering followers to aid in his quest. What we need is to prepare for this threat. The Heir of Cosmos is searching for Warriors of Harmony to assist us in the battle against Xehanort and his allies. That is where you two come in."

"Huh?" Sora blinked. "You want us to become Warriors of Harmony or whatever?"

"In you present state, you will not stand against Xehanort's forces." Yen Sid proclaimed; Sora sulked. "That is why I would like the two of you to participate in the Mark of Mastery Exam." The teenagers only stared in wonderment. "In truth, it takes many years of training to become a Keyblade Master. However, we do not have the luxury of time. We must outwit Xehanort and prepare ourselves for the coming battle ahead. Already, the Heir of Cosmos is searching for the Keyblade Master lost in the Realm of Darkness."

"The Realm of Darkness?" Riku murmured oddly.

"The Keyblade, a weapon that one can only use after being taught by a Master." Yen Sid continued uninterrupted. "However, you two have been using the Keyblade in your own manner without instruction. To become a Keyblade Master, you must learn the correct way to wield the Keyblade. Therefore, you two will forget the things you have learned and start over from the beginning."

"EH?" A simultaneous cry entered the room.

"You don't have to do that!" Sora proclaimed with certainty. "I've beaten Xehanort a bunch of times before! And plus, Riku and the King are all here now! Right, Riku?"

"I…" Riku said slowly, gesturing his hand forward. In a burst of darkness, a winged blade with a demon eye formed in his hand. "Darkness still lurks within my heart. Am I, who walked the path of darkness, really fit to wield the Keyblade? I need to be sure."

"Riku…" Sora muttered sadly Even after all this time, he still hasn't learned to forgive him – he couldn't let that go on. "All right, I'll take the Mark of Mastery Exam! Than me and Riku will become Keyblade Masters."

"Very well." Yen Sid nodded. "Let us begin Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery Exam."

**_-End Flashback-_**

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"And then…I woke up here." Sora hummed thoughtfully. "All right, I have to relearn everything about the Keyblade and become a Keyblade Master! And then, we'll take down Xehanort for good! So…how do I do that?"

This could be a long night.

* * *

Wandering around the First District for the good part of ten minutes, Sora still remained clueless about what he was supposed to do specifically. It was strange that he could remember Yen Sid's speech about Xehanort returning and this whole war between Chaos and Harmony, but he didn't have the faintest clue what he was tasked to do. Riku was right: he needed to pay attention more. So instead of finding hints in the First District, Sora chose to take the doors behind the Accessory Shop into the Second District. The benefit of this world was that it was one Sora was familiar with since he used this town as a base during his first journey.

Stepping through the wooden gates, the spiky-haired Keyblade wielder looked around and found everything exactly as he remembered it. The fountain that sealed the hidden Keyhole against the high walls, the hotel where he first met Leon and Yuffie, and the Gizmo Shop Clock Tower that summoned the Heartless armor – he wasn't going to make that mistake again. It was always quiet in the First District, but it seemed rather odd to be in the Second District without being mauled by Heartless. Not that he was complaining, but it would help if he didn't feel the need to look over his shoulders every few seconds.

Walking around the edge of the second street level, walking past the Mad Hatter's hat shop, he noticed someone walking out into the extensive plaza. It was Joshua, taking a leisurely stroll through the town. At least he knew he wasn't the only one around.

"Oi! Joshua!" Sora called, jumping down to the ground level. The ashy-haired teen turned at the moment the Keyblade wielder skidded to a halt in front of him. "Hey, Joshua. Man, am I glad I caught up to you. It was getting kinda creepy walking around all by myself."

"Oh, you need me to hold your hand." Joshua asked teasingly.

"It's nothing like that!" Sora shouted insulted. "I just think that it would be better if we stick together. I know this place and there's usually something lurking around the corners."

"Well, I am grateful for your concern." Joshua said causally. "But I really need to focus on the Game." He held out his right palm – the timer had dropped to **30:13**. "I'm running out of time and if I can't complete my mission, I'll be erased."

"Well, let me help!" Sora demanded urgently. "I might not be a Player, but I can help out! What's the mission?"

"I got a text saying I have to defeat a certain enemy within the time limit." Joshua informed.

"That's easy enough." Sora grinned confidently with his hands behind his head. "So, who's the enemy?"

The level-headed teenager opened his mouth to respond, but was promptly interrupted by miniature explosions of light popping in around them. They suddenly found themselves surrounded by eight creatures of two different species. The first of them resembled a chubby cat with black skin on top and pink skin on the bottom along with a white muzzle and tail. The second species bared a resemblance to a bat with its body covered in eerie black, its wings a midnight-blue, and crystal blue diamond patterns on its wings and face. Though they were different, they had a distinct common feature: A deep-purple heart-shaped tattoo sprouting bat wings.

"Dream Eaters." Joshua said coolly.

"What's a Dream Eater?" Sora questioned in confusion. Are they related to the Heartless or Nobodies?

"That would be the dark-colored monsters that want to eat us." Joshua responded in a joking tone.

"Not really what I asked." Sora muttered irritably, openly wondering if he was doing this on purpose.

"All right, all right." Joshua smiled in a relaxed fashion. "If you must know, Dream Eaters are exactly how the sound: creatures that devour dreams. They are categorized into two different types: Spirits that eat bad dreams and Nightmares that eat good dreams and leave behind bad ones. The specific kinds for these creatures would be called Meow Wows and Komory Bats."

"I'm guess these aren't the good kind!" Sora yelped.

The Spiky-haired teen stepped back briefly when one of the chubby felines – Meow Wows – tried to headbutt him. It probably doesn't sound all that threatening, but you can't really be sure when one of them is charging at you while glowing at the same time. But as the Keyblade wielder stumbled back, another of the Meow Wows charged up and made a second attempt at the teenager's side. A brief twitch of the hands and a flash of light later, the Meow Wows was vanquished – its body eroded into a mist of black. The remaining seven Dream Eaters paused briefly; even Joshua's usually smug expression was exchange for one of pure wonderment.

They didn't know how or why, but the spiky-haired brunette managed to summon a weapon to his aid from the void of nothingness. The object was a sword that was shaped like a large silver key with and outline at the teeth that seemed to fit the shape of Sora's necklace. The handle was wrapped in blue gripping material, a bright yellow guard ring circled the hilt, and a lengthy chain with three interconnected circles linked to the guard.

Not the kind of weapon you would see in the hands of warriors like Cloud and Lightning, but it seemed to work well for him.

"Oh, so that's the fabled Keyblade." Joshua murmured softly to himself. "I must admit…I'm eager to see it in action."

"Hey!" The ashy-haired boy focused back on Sora, who used his unique weapon to knock away one of the Meow Wows. "How about a little help here?"

"Actually, I was thinking about getting some shaved ice." Joshua replied with a casual smile. "You want anything while I'm out? Hotdog, burger, maybe some fries or chips?"

"What is wrong with you?" Sora yelled exasperated. As another of the Meow Wows tried to headbutt him, the Keyblade wielder slashed his chosen weapon upwards, severing the animated feline in two before evaporating into darkness. Two down, six to go. "All right, since you're not going to help, then I guess I'll have to take care of this."

The chosen wielder of the Keyblade closed a firm grip over his oddly shaped weapon when his ears were blasted by a sudden burst of noise. Sora nearly stumbled over himself, snapping his head wildly to find the source of the noise. Though they didn't have much of a variety of music on the islands, Sora could tell that a heavy orchestra was playing a dramatic chorus that seemed oddly fitting for an impending battle – **(_Hand in Hand)._**

Though the sound was close by, there was no sight of any musicians close to perform it. Then again, who would be crazy enough to form a full orchestra in the middle of a dark street while there are evil cats and nutty bats flapping around? For a moment, Sora was worried that the Dream Eaters had set this up to distract him. But that thought was out the window when he realized that the Dream Eaters were also confused by the sudden noise. Looking over the field, the only person who didn't seem the least bit surprised was Joshua; the boy seemed more interested in his shoes than anything else.

"Uh…what's that?" Sora asked, wondering if he should be worried.

"I don't know, but it does seem rather fitting for this scenario." Joshua replied in his usual easygoing manner. "By the way, you might want to keep your head up."

A good call at the last minute – one of the Komory Bats tried to take a bite out of Sora's spiky head while his back was turned. Fortunately, the aspiring Keyblade Master managed to duck his head low enough that the tip of his spikes barely touched the underside of the winged Nightmare. Oddly enough, the briefest touch managed to draw out something like laughter from the flying rodent, leaving incapable of flying properly and falling to the ground. Who knew Dream Eaters were ticklish? Not one to pass up an opportunity like this, Sora quickly twirled his Keyblade above his head before stabbing it down on to the incapacitated Komory Bat, dissolving it to darkness where it belonged.

With the defeat of one of its kind, the remaining Komory Bats chose to keep a distance from the Keyblade wielder, opting to let the Meow Wows take the punishment. While Sora went back and forth blocking and swatting the chubby felines away, the winged Nightmares unleashed a simultaneous shriek aimed for the spiky-haired teen. Being unprepared for the attack, the young Keyblade wielder was thrown backwards by the shockwaves and slammed his back against the wall of the Gizmo Shop Clock Tower on the opposite end of the plaza. For such little guys, they really knew how to pack a punch.

But while he tried to regain his senses, the twin Meow Wows took this as an opportunity to essentially kick him while he was down. The first of the chubby felines jumped for Sora's head, but the spiky-haired warrior managed to duck his head so that the furry Nightmare merely bounced off the wall. Consequently, this left him unguarded against the Meow Wow that headbutted in the stomach, literally knocking the wind out of him. The boy in red dropped to his knees with a hand to his wounded area; taking in slow, uneasy breaths to recover the strength he lost. They were so soft and chubby, but they hit like a ton of bricks.

With the Keyblade wielder forced to his knees, the Meow Wows dived in for the finishing blow. However, Sora managed to make a full recovery within seconds and slashed her silver weapon across the air, cleaving the chubby felines in half. That only left the three Komory Bats. It was obvious that they were nervous due to their constant twitch – or are they always like that? Either way, the winged Nightmares tried to maintain their distance and unleashed their sonic screams to keep the Keyblade from them.

Sora couldn't exactly recall how it happened – it felt like a sudden warmth pulled him to it – but spiky-haired warrior flipped backwards to avoid the shots and planted his feet against the Gizmo Shop wall. All the while, a shimmering glow enclosed around his frame, giving him a sudden rush of energy he had never experienced before. Sora bounced against the wall, but instead of make a direct path towards the Nightmares, he tilted towards the high wall on the left-hand side. From there, he ricocheted towards the hotel doors, off the Mad Hatter sign, and recoiled off the fountain until he was directly behind the winged Nightmares. The Komory Bats couldn't follow him and even if they did, it wouldn't have made a difference. It was within the blink of an eye that Sora dashed between the winged Dream Eaters, slashing through them all in one swing.

"That's the power of the Keyblade!" Sora boasted, flaunting a heroic pose he unknowingly stole from Cloud. A triumphant fanfare exploded in the atmosphere, making him lose his posture. "Where is that coming from?"

"Very impressive. Very well executed." Joshua complimented with a slow clap. "They were certainly a handful, but we managed to handle ourselves well enough in the end."

"We?" Sora glared angrily. "You didn't do a thing!"

"Not true." Joshua denied. "I went to look for help."

The ashy-haired teenager gestured a hand to his left side, where one of the Meow Wows was playfully bouncing around his heels. Sora nearly erased the chubby cat out of instinct until he actually took the time to notice the difference between this one and the Nightmares he just took care off. Opposite of its menacing counterparts, this Meow Wow was vibrant blue on top with a white underbelly and a little black spot on its tail. Another difference between them was that that heart-shaped tattoo was a warm-peach color with angelic curls. Staring at the Keyblade wielder with its strange plus-shaped eyes, the Wonder Meow bounced happily and curled around Sora's ankles in a friendly way.

"Hey, he's kinda cool." Sora laughed, eagerly patting the friendly Dream Eater.

"This is the other type of Dream Eaters: Spirits." Joshua explained. "They are more willing to help than Nightmares. I found this one in hopes of helping you out, but by the time we got back, you had already finished the job."

"So does that mean your mission's over?" Sora asked hopefully.

"Not quite." Joshua frowned, opening his palm: **21:07**. "The text said I had to defeat a specific enemy within the time limit. But we were ambushed before I had the chance to tell you who the enemy is."

"So, what are we up against?" Sora asked.

"Our enemy is the very person who sent these Nightmares to attack us." Joshua stated, sounding unnaturally serious. "She is the Game Master responsible for sending players on these dangerous missions. A witch of the most malicious intent with hair as red as the blood of her enemies and a shadowy beast she commands as her pet always at arm's length. She may pretend to be friendly, but she is a master of deception and a cunning intellect to match." Sora nodded, processing this information with a serious expression. "Many have tried to defeat the Game Master, but none have ever succeeded. I fear that my time may have run out."

"Hey, leave it to me!" Sora boasted strongly. "I don't know a lot about this Game Master, but I'm a strong guy if I do say so myself! Just tell me where I can find this witch and I'll take her down!"

"Well…if you're that determined." Joshua grinned leisurely, to which Sora nodded in response. He turned towards the Gizmo Shop, pointing towards the back alley. "That way will lead you to Traverse Town's Fourth District. I heard rumors that the Game Master is waiting in there."

"There's a Fourth District?" Sora blinked confused.

"You didn't know?" Joshua questioned interestingly; Sora shook his head in response. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."

"Hey, give me a break!" Sora pouted. "Just watch! I'll take out that Game Master!"

Without even waiting for the ashy-haired teen to respond, Sora took off down the street with the Spirit Meow Wow following close behind. Joshua merely grinned at the back of the young Keyblade wielder's head.

"That Sora…" Joshua mused. "So kind, so thoughtful…so gullible."

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**(1) **Sora's KH3D attire

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**Please, read and review.**


	9. The Boy, The Girl, and the Piggy?

**Dissidia: Secrets**

Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, TWEWY © Square Enix

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**Chapter Eight: The Boy, the Girl, and the Piggy?**

Sora had been ventured through Traverse Town from the high clock tower to the hidden sewer cavern to even Merlin's supposedly "secret" vacation home. To be quite honest, the elderly magician could have learned a thing from Yen Sid about private residents. The town had served as a sort of home base for the upstart Keyblade Warrior during the first Dark War, but never had he seen a place like this. The Fourth District – which he just found out about – was brighter and more extravagant that any other area in Traverse Town. Though there were still a few casual shops, the rest of the borough was decorated with colorful streamers, bright flashing lights, and parade balloons floating over the stores. It looked more like a circus than a shopping district, which was only complimented by the large circus tent in the background.

The Keyblade Master-in-Training carefully treaded down the stairway so that he wouldn't fall on his face while he stared at the brightly colored decorations. Riku often said he had the mind of a three year-old. The little Dream Eater cat that had originally traveled with Sora to the Fourth District had inexplicably gone missing once stepping into the residential area. Sora was a little concerned about his feline friend, but figured that he could take care of himself…assuming it was a 'he'. The spiky-haired islander stopped short of the shining tower in the heart of the district, taking a minute to soak everything in.

"Whoa…" Sora said in awe. "I've never been in this part of town! Ooh, what's that?"

Naturally, Sora was drawn to the brightly colored sign of the Flick Rush Coliseum – he really does have the mind of an infant. The spiky-haired swordsman had been to two different coliseums in the past two years, although the second visit wasn't really a matter of choice. But during both occasions, Sora had the chance to test his skills against some of the strongest and coolest warriors in the worlds. Even to this day, Sora is still practicing so that he could have his rematch with Cloud. Who knows: maybe he could actually win this time? Though considering his last match against Sephiroth, he had a long way to go before he reached Cloud's level.

Sora made his approach to the coliseum entrance and was unsurprised by the floating Moogle guarding it. Small, cuddly teddy bear-like creatures with floating red pom-poms, the Moogles appeared to be the only consistent residents of Traverse Town. They ran the stores, the restaurants, and apparently, the coliseum. But never – I repeat, never! – touch their pom-poms. Sora made that mistake once and was sent freefalling off the gizmo shop bell tower. The Keyblade Master-in-Training walked up to the Moogle guard only to find that he – again, assuming it was a 'he' – was chatting with a smaller creature in his unique language.

Sora blinked. He would have assumed the creature was a Heartless because of its dark skin if he had not reminded himself that the Heartless were unable to cross into the Dream World. It was the same height as a Shadow, but lacked the necessary claws or antenna. And upon closer inspection, he realized that the tiny animal was made of cloth with pointed ears, a lengthy tail, and a pair of stitched eyes on its face. A light bulb went off in his head: now he knew what it was.

"Cool! A pig doll!" Sora grinned cheerfully, ignorant to the toy's evil glare. The spiky-haired islander held out his hand, gesturing the little animal to come closer. "Here, piggy, piggy, piggy. Come here, little pig. I promise I won't hurt you."

The 'piggy' didn't make the same promise for without warning, the stuffed toy latched itself on to the Keyblade Warrior's face and started clobbering him with its tiny fists. The teenage star traveler yelped in surprise and fell backwards, flailing his arms wildly with little success of knocking off the killer doll. It was like a scene out that one horror movie Riku dared him to watch. But when realizing that the piggy's tiny cloth fists were really doing any damage, Sora calmly lifted his hands and pried the stuff animal away from his face. The Dream Warrior sat up with disappointed expression while the little piggy was still trying to claw his way to Sora's face.

"Hey, what was that for?" Sora pouted. "I don't know what I did wrong, but that's no reason for you to hit me, little pig." The stuffed toy glared harder and doubled his efforts to kill the Keyblade Warrior. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! Geez, what did I do wrong!"

"Mr. Mew! Oh, Thank God!"

Sora was promptly kicked to the side and landed in a pile of trashcans that were thankfully empty at the time. When the Keyblade Wielder pulled himself out, he found his attacker cuddly the stuffed piggy gleefully. Though he would never say it out loud, Sora thought she looked like Kairi if she ever became a city girl. The girl was roughly a year under him with burning-red hair that curled wildly in the back. Her attire consisted of a red short-sleeved shirt that exposes a very large portion of her midriff, a short yellow hoodie, a puzzle piece-shaped pendant, and a low-cut green denim skirt with a brown pouch around her waist. She also wears a yellow bracelet on her left wrist accompanied with a ring on her pinkie finger, and knee-length brown medium heeled boots with yellow stripes on the sides.

In stark contrast of his earlier treatment, the stuffed piggy was cuddling up to the street-wise stranger while simultaneously glaring at the Keyblade Warrior. Sora just couldn't understand it; what did he do wrong?

"Oh, Mr. Mew, I was so worried about you." The girl cooed happily before holding the toy at arm's length; scolding him. "What have I told you about wandering off on your own? Well…this honestly the second time you've ever come to life, but I think the rule still applies!" Mr. Mew hung his head in shame, shattering the girl's resolve. "Aw, I can't stay mad at you. You're too cute!"

"Uh…excuse me." Shiki raised her head, finally realizing there was boy climbing out of the trash cans. What a weird kid. "Hey, uh…I guess it's easy to tell that this little piggy belong to you?"

"Piggy!" The girl screamed, causing the Keyblade Wielder to jump. "Mr. Mew is not a piggy, he's a cat! Look at him!" She held the stuffed toy out, who was crossing his arms in a dignified fashion. "See the pointy ears and the cute little tail?! That obviously means that Mr. Mew is a cat! Not a piggy!"

"I'm sorry!" Sora yelped, slight frightened by the city girl. "It's just uh…I've never really see one of those…cats before."

"What are you, raised on a farm?" The girl huffed.

"Actually, I was raised on an island." Sora laughed sheepishly.

"Well…I guess I can't blame ya for it then." The girl conceded, petting her toy leisurely. "Honestly, how can mistake a cute little kitty for a dirty piggy. I swear you're as bad as Neku."

"Neku?" Sora repeated, having heard that name before. "Oh yeah, that's the guy Jo…"

"Huh?" the girl quipped curiously, wondering why he had stopped in midsentence. "What was that? You know Neku?"

"Uh…not personally." Sora excused, chuckling weakly. "I just…heard his name around town is all. Uh…anyway, my name's Sora. You kinda kicked me across the street."

"Oh, I am so sorry about that!" The girl apologies, bowing deeply. "I was just so worried about Mr. Mew that I kinda lost track of everything else. My name is Shiki, by the way – Shiki Misaki. And you've already met Mr. Mew, who is not a piggy!"

"Yeah, I got it." Sora laughed outwardly. But in his mind, the wheels were turning fast. "_Now I remember: Joshua told me about her. A witch as red as the blood of her enemies and a shadowy beast she commands as her pet always at arm's length. Shiki and Mr. Mew must be the Game Masters Joshua was talking about."_

"Boy are idiots, aren't they, Mr. Mew." Shiki cooed to her living toy.

"_If she's the Game Master, she looks pretty harmless._" Sora thought doubtfully, suddenly shaking his head. "_No! That's exactly what she wants you to think! Joshua said she's as cunning and de…de…sneaky! She's probably just trying to get me to lower her guard so she can attack me from behind._" But even so, he couldn't help smiling at the loving interaction between the girl and her pet. "_But…if she cares that much…she can't be that bad…right?"_

"Hey, island boy, my eyes are up here!" Shiki shouted loudly.

"Huh?" Sora sputtered unintelligibly. He had only just now realized that he had been unconsciously staring at Shiki's chest for the past five minutes; his face was starting to look like it had been sunburned. "N-N-No! I wasn't staring at all! Honest!"

"Yeah, right." Shiki replied in disbelief, posing for the Keyblade Warrior with a cute wink and a giggled. "I guess I can't blame you. After all, who could resist these stunning good looks? Not to sound vain or anything, but I am pretty sexy, right?"

"Uh…sure, I guess?" Sora answered hesitantly, not truly knowing the right answer.

"What do you mean you guess?!" Shiki exploded angrily, sending Sora falling on his back. The city girl turned her back to him in a huff, petting her plush kitty with a distinctive pout on her lips. "I should have known better than to ask a dumb boy like him about what it means to be sexy. I bet he's never even seen a cute girl on that island of his."

"Hey, there are plenty of cure girls on the islands!" Sora exclaimed, feeling somewhat insulted for his home world. "Kairi is definitely the cutest girl on the island, even though she technically is from another world, she is…still…the…" The Keyblade bearer trailed off on midsentence under the devious grins of Shiki and Mr. Mew. "Uh…did I say something wrong?"

"Sounds like you have a thing for this 'Kairi' girl, huh?" Shiki grinned mischievously, lightly elbowing the boy's ribs. Having realized his own slip-up, Sora slapped his hands over his mouth. Now he was starting to understand why Riku is always saying to think before speaking. "So, island boy, is Kairi…your girlfriend?"

"No! No way!" Sora screamed embarrassingly, slowly backing away from the devil woman. "We're just friends! Really good friends!"

"Oh…so you're _**real **_good friends, huh?" Shiki commented suggestively. "Just how good are you with your friend? Do you hold hands, go on date, kiss under the moon light, or have a real _**good **_time in bed."

"We don't do any of that." Sora grimaced. "And I don't get what you mean by that last one. I mean, we have sleep overs all the time with Riku back when we were little, but I don't get how you can have a _**good **_time in bed."

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't." Shiki nodded knowingly. "You're way too innocent to understand anything like that, island boy." Was he supposed to accept that as a compliment or an insult? "So if you don't do any of that stuff with Kairi, have you at least told her she's cute?"

The Keyblade Master-in-Training was at a loss for words; this girl really was a witch! The spiky-haired teen was sputtering random noises while slowly backing away from Shiki, only to find himself backed against the wall. He was really starting to wish Riku was here – he was always more skillful when it came to girls. Shiki moved in closer, waiting for an answer, when Sora caught something over her shoulder that immediately drew his attention. A string of Dream Eater's began popping into existence and surrounding the two teenagers, appearing quite menacing despite their cute and cuddly appearances. A few Komory Bats and Mew Wows made a reappearance, by they were now joined by a few deer-like Dream Eater's called Yoggy Rams and a giant bear called a Kooma Panda.

"I was right!" Sora shouted knowingly, causing Shiki to jump. "You were setting me up, weren't you?!"

"What are you talking about?" Shiki questioned with her brow raised. Mr. Mew tapped her should to catch her attention and pointed to the area behind her. Though initially confused by her partner's gesture, the fashionable teen turned on her heels and quickly jumped back to the wall with a small yelp once seeing the Dream Eaters. "Where the hell did those come from?!"

"You mean you didn't call them?" Sora asked in confusion.

"Call them?!" Shiki shrieked, pulling the boy ahead as a human shield. "I don't even know what those things are! I've dealt with a lot of weird things like Noise and Reapers, but this is the first time I've seen things!"

"So…you didn't bring them here?" Sora asked once more. Shiki looked genuinely scared as she shook her head; there was no way she could fake something like that. "Then I'm gonna have to trust you on that. I don't think I'm gonna be able to take them all on my own, so do you think you could help out a little?"

"I don't really know how to fight." Shiki said with a slightly more confident tone. "But Mr. Mew is strong; he can take care of those things."

"Then that'll have to do." Sora said with determination, summing the Keyblade to his hand. "Let's take 'em, piggy!"

"Mr. Mew is a cat!" Shiki screamed for the last time, thrashing her knuckles over the Keyblade Warrior's skull. Not a moment later, Traverse Town's unique battle theme – **(Hand in Hand)** – began blasting away in the background. "Eh? Where's that music coming from?"

"If I knew, I'd tell ya." Sora groaned, massaging the sore spot on his head.

While the teenagers were on the subject of music, the first Yoggy Ram lowered its horns – which were literally music horns – and made a charge for the pair. Sora's quick instincts allowed him to lift his new partner into his arms and leaped over twenty feet into the air, unknowingly leaving Mr. Mew back on the ground. The stuffed cat toy was clearly irritated, but did not dwell on the matter. Despite his short stature, Mr. Mew was able to stand his ground and surprisingly jumped forward with fluffy fist stretched ahead. That attack may have seemed in effective against a warrior like Sora, but a direct knuckle shot to the forehead sent the Yoggy Ram flying backwards into a couple of Meow Wows before smashing into the wall. Amidst all the smoke and dust, the Yoggy Ram appeared mostly unharmed, but the Meow Wows had been obliterated. He was a tough little guy, that was for sure.

Up on the rooftops, Sora's incredible jumping ability brought them up to the thin ropes banners, which he Keyblade Warrior skillfully slid across with unnatural skill. Shiki had seen Beat grind rails on his skateboard before, but never seen anyone grind a thin piece of rope with his shoes. Was this boy even human? That question had to wait, however, as the winged Komory Bats circled the air just ahead of the teenaged warriors. The fashionable city girl barely had a chance to prepare before Sora threw her up into the sky, earning a terrified scream. With Shiki out of danger and the Komory Bats slowly catching up to him, the spiky-haired islander kicked off the rope slide just before latching on to it with his gloved hand.

Sora started swinging around the rope to gain extra momentum before releasing his grip, flinging himself towards the swarm of dream bats. Just barely before the Komory Bats were able to unleash their sonic shrieks, the Keyblade Wielder slashed his chosen weapon across the air and landed safely on the rooftop behind them. The winged Nightmares faded back into nonexistence without much trouble; he was getting the hang of these new Keyblade lessons already. The spiky-haired hero released his Keyblade for just a moment; long enough to hold out his arms and catch Shiki.

"This Dream Eater thing is getting a lot easier." Sora commented with a laugh. He wasn't laughing much when Shiki decided to grind her fists on either side of his skull. "AAH! What'd I do now?!"

"You nearly scared the life out of me – again!" Shiki growled angrily, locking the poor boy into a choke hold. "I've already died once and I have no plans on doing that again! So if you do something stupid like that again, I use that special knockout move Beat showed me the other day! Are we clear?!"

"Crystal." Sora chocked until Shiki finally released him. "Man, where'd you learn to do something like that?"

"When you live in a big city like Shibuya, you have to learn how to protect yourself." Shiki said obviously. A crash from the street before drew their attention, spotting a little black cat warding off a swarm of cats and rams. "Oh no, Mr. Mew! We have to help him!"

"I'm on it." Sora stated.

Sora ran along the edges of the rooftop, keeping his watchful eyes on the battle below. Mr. Mew was stronger that the islander had given him credit for: the stuffed cat doll had effortlessly wiped out the entire Meow Wow group and had knocked back two Yoggy Rams. But that seemed to be the full extent of his power. The plushy feline had attempted another jab to one of the nearby Yoggy Rams, but found its paw captured between the Nightmare's rows of teeth. Mr. Mew could count his blessings that the Yoggy Rams only had flat teeth or his arm with have been ripped off. The horned Nightmare flailed Mr. Mew back and forth like the ragdoll that it was; Shiki was afraid that his threads would come undone.

Sora couldn't wait any longer; the piggy…er…kitty needed his help. The Keyblade Wielder kicked off the edge of the rooftop and dived for the nearby lamppost, using it as a base to gain momentum. The spiky-haired warrior released his hold on the support and curved towards the Dream Eater swarm like a human boomerang. A flash of silver slipped through the group and Mr. Mew was found to be safe in Sora's arms while the Yoggy Ram exploded back into dream dust.

"You ok, little guy?" Sora asked.

At least he didn't call him 'piggy', Mr. Mew thought. The stuffed animal jumped out of the Keyblade Warrior's grip and pounded his chest, showing that he was fine and ready for battle. Sora nodded in confirmation and turned back to the remaining Dream Eaters. With the Komory Bats and the Meow Wows out of commission, that only left four Yoggy Rams and the Kooma Panda. The horned Nightmares would put up a challenge, but nothing he couldn't handle. The trouble would be the Kooma Panda – his size, bulk, and that there was only one of them indicated that it was the stronger of the Nightmares. Sora would definitely have to save that one for last after they thinned out the herd. At the same time, Shiki was delicately trying to climb down from the rooftop that Sora left her on.

"That – stupid – boy." Shiki grunted, stretching her leg out to reach the next support. "I swear, when I get my hands on him…"

Back on the ground, the Yoggy Rams formed a line ahead of the Kooma Panda and lowered their heads with their instrumental horns pointed at the hero and kitty. The quartet of Nightmares flared their horns in a symphony of booming roars, blowing out every window on the street and fracturing a few of the buildings. Sora' natural instinct was to cover his ears as the explosion of noise blasted against his eardrums. Mr. Mew was fortunate not to have eardrums, but his feathery-light body was carried off the ground and tossed down the street, landing with frightful precision into a nearby mailbox.

Sora couldn't say for certain, but it felt like the Yaggy Rams were increasing the volume on their painful orchestra; he was afraid he might be going deaf. The Keyblade Warrior desired nothing more than to use a Strike Raid to cut off their horns, but the level of noise was actually starting to blur his sense of sight. The spiky-haired islander was quickly losing his strength and fell to his knees. If this when on any longer, his brain would turn to mush. He needed a miracle…again. And the funny thing about Sora was that he had a natural affinity of drawing miracles.

Shiki, who had tried to climb down from the rooftops the entire time, had slipped on her next foot hold and dropped several feet on to the back of the Yaggy Ram on the farthest right. The horned Nightmare was startled by the extra weight on its back and shook its head with a frightened screech. The consequence of its actions left to blasting the rest of its pack with supersonic strength and smashing them into the coliseum wall, evaporating into nothing. It took a moment to calm itself down before the Yaggy Ram glared over its shoulder to the fashion teen riding bareback; Shiki smiled and waved nervously. The Yaggy Ram was prepared to buck the unwanted rider off, but was left with little choice when Sora flashed by and slashed the horned Nightmare in two. Shiki yelped as the Nightmare disappeared from under her, but found herself once again safe in Sora's arm.

"Hey, nice work." Sora grinned proudly.

"Yeah, whatever." Shiki said in a monotonous tone. "So unless you plan on buying me dinner or flowers, would you mind putting me down. People might start to get the wrong idea."

"You don't have to be mean about it." Sora pouted, setting the city girl back on her feet.

"You think I'm mean?" Shiki snickered playfully. "If Neku were here…you know what, never mind. Where's Mr. Mew?"

"I think he's being shipping to the First District." Sora replied, pointing back to the strange mailbox.

"Mr. Mew!" Shiki screamed frightfully, making a mad dash for the postal system.

"Looks like it's just you and me, big guy." Sora grinned excitedly, facing down the last of the Nightmares.

The dark-colored ursine growled like the animal it was mimicking, pounding its chest as an acceptance to the challenge. Being so naturally big and bulky, it was no surprise that the Keyblade Master-in-Training was its natural better in terms of speed. Sora's naturally thin and wiry frame allowed him to duck and dodge the Nightmare bear's trio of claws. The Kooma Panda even tried to tackle the young island warrior, but Sora was easily able to kick off the bear's round stomach and back-flip away in perfect form. Once he was a good distance away from the ursine, Sora brought his Keyblade to his side and pointed the teeth towards the Kooma Panda.

Even though Master Yen Sid had wiped him clean of most of his techniques, there were still a few he had managed to keep – one of them being his Sliding Dash. The spiky-haired islander stabbed his Keyblade with as much force as possible and kicked off the ground, propelling him across the street at blazing speed. Within that split second of time, Sora flashed by and sliced the Nightmare in two…Is what he would have said. Sora had encountered over a dozen of rotund enemies – the most obvious being the Fat Bandits – but even he forgets how large bodies could serve as an advantage. Sora was caught off-guard when the teeth of the Keyblade bounced off the Kooma Panda's blubbery body and threw him off balance.

While Sora tried to regain his footing, the Kooma Panda used the advantage to close his claws into a fist and jabbed Sora with a classic boxer knuckle. A direct shot to the face temporarily disoriented the young Keyblade Warrior, which gave the perfect opportunity for the Kooma Panda to lift his opponent off the ground and into a nearby shop window. Dazed and surrounded by broken flower pots, Sora massaged the painful throbbing in his eyes, unaware of the looming threat of the approaching Nightmare. Meanwhile, Shiki had finally managed to recover a stamp covered Mr. Mew from the weird mailbox after three minutes of constant digging.

"Oh, thank god you're all right." Shiki sighed in relief, hugging the tiny creature to death. "That was a close one. Next time you want to go on a trip, try flat rate. It's much cheaper."

Mr. Mew didn't seem very amused by the joke – then again, you could never really tell what he was thinking with his stitch face. But judging by the constant taping on her arm and pointing over her shoulder, she guessed he wanted her to turn around. Her breath hitched a bit at the sight of the disoriented Sora being overshadowed by that overgrown circus act. She thought Sora was strong, but it just goes to show that even he is just human.

"Mr. Mew, time for a rescue mission!" Shiki commanded strongly.

The plush doll saluted. Back on the battlefield, Sora blinked a few times before his vision started to return. He wasn't too surprised to find the Kooma Panda standing over him with his triple claws pointed for his heart – he wouldn't be the first to make the attempt. The Keyblade Wielder was prepared to return his chosen weapon to his hand at a moment's notice and defend himself, but it seem like Shiki had something else in mind. Despite Traverse Town being locked in perpetual night, even they couldn't deny the oddity of a giant shadow covering the entire street. Being drawn by natural curiosity, Sora and the Kooma Panda broke away from their battle and stared with open mouths at Mr. Mew, who had grown by an alarming forty feet. His paws at his hips in triumph, Mr. Mew stared down at the pair while Shiki waved down to her friend from the cat's shoulder.

"Hey, Sora, check it out!" Shiki yelled excitedly. "My Psyschs still work in this town! Pretty awesome, eh?"

"Whoa…" Sora was stunned to say the least. "That is so cool!"

"All right, Mr. Mew…" Shiki ordered like a drill sergeant. "Fire the lasers!"

When Shiki said lasers, she really meant lasers – a pair of burning-red light blazing from Mr. Mew's blank eye sockets. The lasers cut a path down the street, ripping open the cobblestone path, and Sora's natural instinct was to take safety in the bush of begonias. The Kooma Panda, being both slow in mind and body, did very little to stand against Mr. Mew's awesome power and was disintegrated into dream dust. Shiki cheered in victory as Mr. Mew began to shrink down to his original size, cuddling the little toy for his prod achievement.

"Way ta go, Mr. Mew." Shiki smiled happily, nuzzling the plushy companion. "I didn't that would work outside the Underground, but you really pulled it off. I'm so proud of you."

"That was awesome!" Sora exclaimed excitedly as he dashed over to the pair; Shiki snickered at the flowers sprouting from his untamed hair. "You and Mr. Mew are amazing! I can't wait to tell Riku about this; he is going to be so jealous."

"We are pretty cool, aren't we?" Shiki boasted proudly. "Normally, we do this kind of thing with Neku, but…" She stopped midsentence when a mischievous grinned stretch across the Keyblade Warrior's expression. "Uh…what are you grinning about?"

"You talk about this Neku guy a lot." Sora claimed in the same teasing voice Shiki used earlier. "He wouldn't happen to be…your boyfriend, woud he?"

"Eh?" Shiki squeaked; her face flared bright-red and unconsciously dropped Mr. Mew. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about! Me and Neku are just really good friends, that's all." She uncharacteristically started playing with her fingers. "I mean, we were partners in the Underground for a while and I was his entrance fee for the second week of the Reaper Games, but that doesn't mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend or anything…right?"

"So, how _**good **_of friends are you." Sora said suggestively, even though he had absolutely no idea what he was saying.

"Th-That's none of your business!" Shiki screamed, causing Sora to cover his already sensitive ears. "You little – Ow!" Shiki winced from the brief pain in her right palm, earning the curiosity of the Keyblade Warrior. When the teenaged heroes looked down, they were stunned to see a timer glaring at them in neon-red: **59:54**. "A timer? But we're not in the Underground."

"You have one of those, too?" Sora asked confused; Shiki looked at his questionably. "I met this guy named Joshua earlier who had a timer on his hand just like yours. He said he had to beat someone in this Game before his time ran out."

"Joshua? In the Game?" Shiki repeated suspiciously. "What's this guy's full name again?"

"Uh…I think he said his name was Yoshiya Kiryu." Sora recalled, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "But everyone calls him Joshua. He said he was close friends with Neku Sakuraba. You know him?"

"I never met him personally, but Neku told me all about him." Shiki said firmly. "Sora, that kid is bad news. He tried to destroy my hometown, Shibuya, and used Neku like a toy to do it. If Neku didn't have the common sense to stop everything, I don't think I'd be standing here."

"But…the Game…his timer…" Sora said weakly.

"That timer was a fake!" Shiki shouted with certainty. "Joshua can't have a timer or participate in the Reaper Games like a real Player because he's the Conductor! He's the guy who made this sadistic game in the first place!"

"Wha? Joshua did all this?" Sora sputtered in shock. "Then…this whole time…"

"He was setting you up." Shiki said with a final tone. "And now he's pulled me back into this stupid game of his. But what am I supposed to do when I don't even know…" An upbeat pop song started playing; Sora thought the invisible orchestra had made a return performance. But as it turns out, the sound was coming from a strange handheld device Shiki retrieved from her pocket. "Oh, I got a text after all. It says:** To escape the hand of present doom, face the demon where all life blooms**. Wow, who knew Joshua could be so flowery."

"What's that thing?" Sora asked curiously, staring at the tiny device.

"What? You've never seen a cellphone before?" Shiki questioned, snickering slightly. "Oh wow, you really are an island boy, aren't ya?"

"Hey…" Sora moaned.

"Anyway, I gotta figure out this riddle before I get erased." Shiki said, not really paying attention to the Keyblade Warrior anymore. "I'm already gonna be grounded for life because I stayed out so late. If I get erased, my mom's gonna kill me."

"Hey…hey, wait up!" Sora called to the fashionable teen running down the street. "Why are girls so difficult?"

Though this really wasn't any of his business, Sora knew he needed to figure out this whole thing between Joshua, the Reaper's Game, and their connection to Master Xehanort and his secret alliance. And so far, his only clue was the troublesome girl with a cat plushy. Somewhere deep in his mind, Sora knew he was going to regret it, but he unwillingly followed the city girl. But unknown to the pair of teens, a silver haired girl was watching the new partners from one of the tall chimneys, giggling at the amusing show.

* * *

Returning to the former home world of Chaos and Harmony, Jenova paced impatiently around the hollow basin that was supposed to be filling with the essence of Discord. But despite the events that had taken place in the outcast world, the Pool of Discord had yet to receive a single drop of new conflict. The Calamity of the Sky closed his fist; shaking from anger. The one-winged goddess would have taken her frustrations out on the Goddess of Harmony, but since her last 'play date', Cosmos' life had been hanging by a loose thread. And ever since then, Master Xehanort had forbidden her to stay within twenty feet of the goddess until she had fully recovered.

Xehanort – what was he up to? He had sent Joshua into Traverse Town and had purposely tampered with the Mark of Mastery Exam all for the sake of drawing that island brat closer to him. And despite no changes occurring in the flow of Discord, Master Xehanort could not have looked any happier. Just by his expression alone, you would think that he had already won the war. The Keyblade Master of Darkness casually leaned against the former Goddess's throne, watching the events play out on the viewing screen.

"Joshua's plan had failed, Master." Jenova stated with a grimace. "He was supposed to turn that Keyblade brat on Sakuraba's little girlfriend, but instead he decides to become friends with her. I thought you said that boy was a simple-minded brat – that he would be easy to manipulate. So even after your plan failed, why are you still grinning?"

"Because, my dear Jenova, my plan is only starting." Master Xehanort proclaimed coolly, earning a skeptical stare from his acquaintance. "I knew from the start Sora would never harm Ms. Misaki – his heart is too soft and willing to believe in second chances. Even those who have yet to deserve them."

"So what was the point of all this?" Jenova questioned dangerously.

"Sora has an unusual gift." Master Xehanort stated. He can connect his heart to those around him without even trying. And from those bonds, his strength becomes greater than any other I had seen in all my years of travel. But his attachments also come with a fatal flaw. Sora is protective of those bonds he has developed and will strike down anyone who dares to severe them without second guessing himself."

"You seem certain of this." Jenova commented.

"This theory has already been successfully proven." Master Xehanort grinned darkly. "When Naminé tampered with Sora's memories, he not only struck down Axel, Larxene, and Vexen in his pursuit, he also disregarded the feelings of his companions when they advised against his obsession. And when the Princess of Light was captured by Organization XIII, he willingly jumped into battle against the Heartless even though he knew he was being used to further Organization XIII's goals."

"So Sora in blinded by his passion." Jenova surmised with a devilish smile. "You purposely put those two together knowing Sora would develop another bond with that girl and add another heart to use as leverage against him. I must say, master, you truly are the epitome of Heartless."

"You haven't seen anything yet, my dear." Master Xehanort said with certainty. "Now that Sora has joined the War, we can move on to the second phase of our plan."

* * *

**I know it has been a while since I've update, but with things only getting more complicated on my end, I'm finding less time to write than I would wish to. I'm still looking for any available writers who would still wish to see these stories continued. If you still wish to help, please contact me via PM.**

**Please, read and review.**


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